With one week left in the national campaign for the presidency, Tyrone Area Middle and High School students had the opportunity to voice their opinion at the ballot box during a mock election at the school yesterday.
Civics teacher Todd Cammarata has led a Mock Election Club this school year as students had the chance to participate in the process. Students were able to view and discuss an actual presidential debate between President George W. Bush and Democratic rival, Senator John F. Kerry. Members of the club also conducted a campaign through the creation of posters and brochures and by participating in a mock debate last week.
As for the vote yesterday, President Bush was the overwhelming choice with both high school and the middle school students. Bush garnered 290 to Kerry’s 108 votes among the high school voters. The president won even more convincingly with the middle school students; the vote was 326 to 96 in favor of the President.
Cammarata said in order to make the process more realistic, students had to register to vote. He said 95 percent of the middle school registered. Eighty-five percent of the high school students registered for an overall registration of about 90 percent.
Cammarata said he did not have exact voter turnout available. He said the vast majority of those who registered cast a ballot in yesterday’s election.
“Hopefully from beginning to end with the (student) debate and the Debate Watch, it opened their eyes to the importance an election has,” said Cammarata. “It was perceived well by the kids; they took it seriously.”
He also said some of the seniors will actually be voting in the real election next week. Cammarata explained some of them had already turned 18 and registered by the deadline earlier this month.
“A number of seniors do plan to vote,” said Cammarata. “It’s a little more meaningful to them.”
Cammarata said the election process has been a major focus of his classes.
“We have kept tabs on the details…leading up to it,” said Cammarata.
He said his classes will continuing to follow the campaign in the next week and after the vote next Tuesday. Cammarata said students will look at the differences in the vote at the national, state and local level and even at the level of yesterday’s mock election.
Cammarata also said he wasn’t sure if students understood how divided the country is regarding this year’s presidential candidates. The latest national polls still show a close race between President Bush and Senator Kerry.
