Print Story Email Story Discuss Story (0)

Recommend ( 0 )

click any photo to view this story's photo gallery

Related Links

advertisement

published: Wednesday, October 01, 2008

Lincoln trounces Washington in mock election at Lake Country Elementary

By TREY CHRISTY

trey.christy@newssun.com

LAKE PLACID -- While it took a month to decide a disputed race for a judge in Palm Beach County, students of Lake Country Elementary School can be assured there was no problem in Tuesday morning's mock presidential election.

Students can be assured the votes are accurate because a supervisor of elections counted each vote and matched the number to a sign-in sheet signed by every voter.

Staying away from the controversy of this year's presidential election, third- through fifth-graders wound up with the choice between two great Americans -- either George Washington or Abraham Lincoln.

"I talked with (Principal Majel Bowerman) and (Assistant Principal Judy Dyer) about the idea and who to put up as the two candidates," said Ginger Keimel, an active volunteer and substitute at LCE who organized the election. "We didn't want it to be controversial or like the school was supporting one candidate."

Using Disney characters, an early idea, seemed to take away from the serious nature, she said.

In the weeks leading up to the election students studied the two Americans and the electoral college that would eventually determine their next president -- even if they didn't win the popular vote.

"We showed an example of how that could happen," Keimel said. "They were amazed it could be different."

In an exit poll taken by the News-Sun of a third-grade class, Lincoln held an overwhelming majority of the votes.

"I picked him because he kept important papers under his hat," Ivan Viveros said. "He's honest, he's brave, and he stopped slavery."

Washington's proven record of leadership not only as the first president of the United States but in the Revolutionary War and his hand in the drafting of the Constitution were no match for Lincoln's legacy.

"He was brave and honest, that's why they call him 'Honest Abe,'" Jasmine Greene said.

Voters knew Washington was the first president, but they were in awe of Lincoln's stand against slavery and his leadership during the Civil War.

"They seem to know much more about him," Keimel said.

Using the electoral college system, Lincoln won by a landslide, taking the race with 28 votes to Washington's 2.

Of the 15 classes, five each for third, fourth and fifth grades, every grade was assigned a certain number of electors.

Each fifth-grade class had three, each fourth-grade class had two, and each third-grade class had one, explaining that larger states, in this case classes, get more votes than smaller ones.

Washington only carried one class, the fourth-graders of Casey Svodoba, by a vote of 14 to 9.

He was close to carrying two third-grade classes as well, with votes of 9 to 8 and 7 to 6.

The popular vote was 199 to 74.

Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States and was the first president to be assassinated when he was shot at Ford's Theater in April 1865 after winning a bid for re-election in 1864.

News of the mock election results will be reported during the morning announcements at LCE today.