Kids Pick Kerry to Be the Next President

[DaKCMan AP]

Kids Pick Kerry to Be the Next President

NEW YORK - Kid power! Democrat John Kerry (news - web sites) is the winner, and the rest of the country should pay attention because the vote on Nickelodeon's Web site has correctly chosen the president of the United States in the past four elections.

Nearly 400,000 children and teens voted, and the results were released Wednesday. Kerry received 57 percent of the vote; President Bush (news - web sites) got 43 percent.

Nickelodeon has been airing information on the Nov. 2 election, plus sponsoring debates where kids could put forth their views on the environment, the war in Iraq (news - web sites) and terrorism. Some animated shows on the cable channel also have been focusing on the election.

Linda Ellerbee, who writes and hosts "Nick News," says their voting usually reflects their parents' views — but not all the time.

"Every so often you get a kid that says, `My parents are voting for X, but I'm voting for Y,'" she said. "It's amazing, the point when kids start forming their own ideas about issues."

Ellerbee said Nickelodeon has been traveling the country teaching about the election and the importance of being socially informed. Seven-year-old Anthony Viggiano of Baldwin, N.Y., won a contest for the best song lyrics about freedom of speech and performed it with rocker John Mellencamp (news).

"If we can get kids interested earlier in voting, when they can legally vote, they will," she said. "They will run for office, they will be the candidates (that) people want to vote for."

Ellerbee, who will announce the results on "U-PICK Live" Wednesday night, said many children wonder why they can't vote in the real election.

"Kids aren't dumb, they're just younger and shorter," she said. "In fact, last election, a boy came up to me and said, `We picked George Bush (news - web sites) to win, and he didn't really win. Al Gore (news - web sites) won the popular vote, so we were kinda wrong.' Quite an observation."

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...deon_president

[RedNFeisty]

Rather interesting and cool concept. Perhaps their generation will do better!

[Hel'n]

Originally Posted by RedNFeisty

Rather interesting and cool concept. Perhaps their generation will do better!

I hope so...

[Mr. Kotter]

Originally Posted by Hel'n

I hope so...

Selecting Kerry is a bad, bad sign...

[Brock]

Sponge Bob wasn't one of the choices, I take it.

[Saulbadguy]

Of course, Nickelodeon wasn't using any sort of EC, which makes the whole thing invalid.

But, this really isn't news worthy.

[Mr. Kotter]

Hell, all this poll proves is Liberal parents let the TV babysit their kids....

[Saulbadguy]

Originally Posted by SDChiefsfan

Hell, all this poll proves is Liberal parents let the TV babysit their kids....

Especially considering Bush won the last Nickelodeon "election..", i'd say nothing can be drawn from this data. Like Brock said, if Spongebob was on the ticket, he would win in a landslide.

[Michael Michigan]

Originally Posted by DaKCMan AP

Kid power! Democrat John Kerry (news - web sites) is the winner, and the rest of the country should pay attention because the vote on Nickelodeon's Web site has correctly chosen the president of the United States in the past four elections.

Nickelodeon had web access in 1988?

Amazing.

[Saulbadguy]

Originally Posted by Michael Michigan

Nickelodeon had web access in 1988?

Amazing.

Prolly not..probably 1992. They must have already counted this election as "in the bag".

[Chieficus]

Originally Posted by DaKCMan AP

"Every so often you get a kid that says, `My parents are voting for X, but I'm voting for Y,'" she said. "It's amazing, the point when kids start forming their own ideas about issues."

Hmmm...I remember being in Juinor high back in '92 during the Clinton/Bush/Perot race... we had a "mock" election at the school and Perot won by a landslide.

I'm doubting its so much about the kids forming their own ideas on issues and more of a reaction to the world around them to pick the "Cool" pick of the moment.

Of course, show me a pair of ten year olds discussing the best course to take on the health care issue while sipping on $12 coffees from starbucks, and then maybe I'll be impressed enough to buy into the whole "forming their own ideas about issues" thing...

[Saulbadguy]

George Bush won the "election" at my grade school in the 92 election.

[Chieficus]

Originally Posted by Saulbadguy

George Bush won the "election" at my grade school in the 92 election.

Hmmm...that sounds like fewer people at your grade school grew up to be trailer trash....

[The_Grand_Illusion]

Here's another one:

http://teacher.scholastic.com/schola...rticle_thu.asp

Democracy on Display
By Ayda Suberoglu, 12, and Cheyenne Lizardi, 14
Scholastic Student Reporters

Kids may not be eligible to vote for President, but their voices can still be heard. More than half a million kids voted in the Scholastic News presidential election. Some kids mailed in ballots cut from Scholastic News and Junior Scholastic magazines. Others voted online.

Results were announced during opening ceremonies of Democracy Plaza near NBC headquarters in New York City.

"George W. Bush won the kid's election poll with 52 percent of the vote," announced Scholastic Student Reporter David Rush. Senator John Kerry received 47 percent. One percent of the votes were for "other," with quite a few kids writing in "Mom" as their choice for President.

Scholastic News has conducted student election polls since 1940. Poll results, which are not scientific, have reflected actual results in all but two elections: 1948 and 1960. In 1948, kids chose Thomas E. Dewey over winner Harry S. Truman. In 1960, America's classrooms chose Richard M. Nixon over winner John F. Kennedy. Both were close elections. In 2000, student voters chose George W. Bush, mirroring the Electoral College result but not the result of the popular vote.

"The Scholastic Election Poll is a fun way to get young children excited about politics," said Rebecca Bondor, Editor in Chief of Scholastic Classroom Magazines. "I'm very excited about all the enthusiasm that the kids and teachers have shown across the country. I was especially impressed and delighted to see all the boxes and boxes of paper ballots."

Some kids did more than vote. Some drew pictures, while others wrote notes and even letters to send in with their ballots.

"Thank you for listening to what I have to say," said Rosa Ciocca of Missouri, in a letter.

A fourth-grader e-mailed Scholastic News Online, excited about the chance to vote. "It is like I am really voting on November 2, 2004," said Alexa L. Lopez-Gonzalez.

Aimee Sawyer, who drew a picture of President Bush on her letter, said, "Thank you for giving me the chance to 'vote.'"

The ballot counting took four days and 20 journalism students from New York University

[Cochise]

Originally Posted by Saulbadguy

George Bush won the "election" at my grade school in the 92 election.

Mine too. I remember they made a big deal about the kids' election for like a week before, and then after they never reported the results or anything. I remember asking my teacher what the results were and she just said "Bush won".

I guess if we had picked Dukakis there would have been a party or something.