Obama wins CFHS mock election

Linden Terptsra/Staff Writer
Illinois senator Obama overpowered John McCain of Arizona in a mock presidential election held at the high school on Friday.

Out of a total 557 voters, Obama captured 312 student votes while McCain trailed behind with 215 votes, along with a few votes for others.

“I was shocked at the amount of people who showed up at 7:45 this morning to vote,” social studies teacher Jeremiah Longnecker said on the day of the mock election.

The social studies department organized the mock election, aspiring to make it a lifelike situation.

“We sat down and discussed what we wanted the [voting] process to be like, and we wanted to make the process as real as we possibly can,” Longnecker said.

Appreciative for the organization, students were also happy to voice their opinion and obtain voting experience.

“It would help because the social studies department tried to make it as close to an actual election as possible. People had to register to vote beforehand, they had to prove who they were with actual I.D., and did their voting in a private space,” junior Brian Harris said.
Senior Deanna Ament was also grateful.

“I think it was good because it made people actually think about what was going on and who they would vote for, the kinds of thinking that you would have to do it a real election situation,” Ament said.

Through this realistic process, students realize the value and necessity of voting.

“It is important to vote because we live in a country where we are free to choose our leaders. So many times people complain about what the president does is terrible or stupid, yet at election time, they do not go to the polls to voice their opinion. I think that kids (and adults) need to think for themselves and support the causes that they believe in, not just choosing to support what their parents or friends say. And the easiest way to do that is to vote,” Harris said.