Students Get A Chance To Vote

By Jennifer Loren, News On 6

TULSA, OK -- As the country waits for the numbers to come in, some 35,000 students around the Tulsa area are looking forward to hearing who won their election.

Several schools held mock elections on Tuesday.

For months we've heard people talk about how this election has electrified the young vote and it appears that's true even among those too young to vote.

At Union Public Schools' 8th grade center hundreds of students cast their ballots on Election Day.

"I was voting for Obama," said Jeanie Ta, 8th grade voter.

"It's a secret ballot. I don't have to tell," said Robert Dunning, 8th grade voter.

Before they cast their ballots the students took tests to decide if they were republicans, democrats or independents. Then they learned what their candidates stood for.

Lillie Trinh voted for Barack Obama.

"Because I don't like some of the issues that McCain imposes. I believe that the rich shouldn't have a tax break because it starts from the bottom up," said Trinh.

The League of Women voters sponsored the mock election, hoping it will make a difference in the country's future.

"So we need to educate our students about the history of elections, the importance of elections and that it all starts with them and this democracy really relies on their being active as adults," said Ruth Richards, League of Women Voters.

At Rosa Parks Elementary they're having elections, too. But they're doing things a little bit differently. They're voting for Spiderman or Alvin.

"And so Alvin came as the underdog, in the primaries in the blue party, barely beating out Sponge Bob," said Debbie Snider, Teacher.

Teachers made their election more fun because they say at this age the kids would have just voted for whoever their parents told them to.

"I hope tomorrow when you say who's the President of the United States they don't say Sponge Bob or Alvin. I hope that they'll be able to have a clear distinction between this was just for fun and this was for real," said Snider.

According to the exit poll that strategy worked.

"They're voting for either Obama or McCain," said Brayden Spencer, 4th grader.

"Because everyone should get to choose who they think they want to be president," said Jamesha Buggs, 4th grader.

The numbers are still coming in for most of the schools, but this just in, Alvin won the election at Rosa Parks Elementary.

We're told a lot of the younger voters felt like Spiderman was a little scary.