Quail Run sixth-grader Klaire Sarver makes her selections at a Kids Voting location at Langston Hughes Elementary School on Tuesday voting Nov. 2, 2010.
A group of International visitors watch Kids Voting at Hillcrest Elementary School on Tuesday Nov 2, 2010.
Like thousands of their mentors filing into polling places throughout Lawrence, dozens of budding voters endorsed plans Tuesday for an expanded Lawrence Public Library.
In unofficial balloting conducted through Kids Voting Douglas County, 543 Lawrence students in grades five through 12 voted 62.8 percent to 37.2 percent to approve the library’s $18 million expansion plan.
Registered voters were slightly less enthusiastic in their approval of the measure, 55 percent to 45 percent.
The youthful enthusiasm didn’t come as a surprise to those who have been there, done that.
“Kids use the library more than adults,” said Kiely Mosiman, a Lawrence High School senior who joined more than 50 schoolmates who volunteered Tuesday evening to compile results. “And when you’re a kid, your first instinct is to vote ‘yes.’”
In all, 1,878 youngsters — from preschool up through high school — cast unofficial ballots at 46 polling sites in Douglas County. Kids Voting has been alive in the county for 10 elections now, since 1992.
All students voted for governor, while many older students’ ballots included the same questions as everyone else’s, right down to retention of judges and township clerks.
Among votes cast for candidates in selected races for Kids Voting Douglas County:
• Governor: Tom Holland, 1,024; Sam Brownback, 457.
• U.S. Senate: Lisa Johnston, 398; Jerry Moran, 319.
• U.S. Representative, 2nd District: Lynn Jenkins, 150; Cheryl Hudspeth, 89.
• U.S. Representative, 3rd District: Stephene Moore, 260; Kevin Yoder, 178.
• Kansas Attorney General: Steve Six, 437; Derek Schmidt, 189.
• Kansas Secretary of State: Chris Biggs, 336; Kris Kobach, 212.
• Lawrence Public Library expansion: yes, 341; no, 202.
• Kansas House, 45th District: Tom Sloan, 154; Linda Robinson, 132.
• Douglas County Commission, 1st District: Mike Gaughan, 46; Arch Naramore, 22.
Comments
Roland Gunslinger 6 years, 9 months ago
OK, so their votes closely resembled adult ballot result on the library issue... everything else- not so much.
Jonathan Kealing 6 years, 9 months ago
Sorry, I meant local adult results. Not the winners, but the way Douglas County adults voted.
Nikki May 6 years, 9 months ago
Everything else was completely different. Compare and contrast. It's one of those things they learn in grade school. Looks like kids are democrats.
topflight 6 years, 9 months ago
Good thing they still have time to grow out of that democrat stage. But with as much liberal crap as the lawrence urinal world feeds them, its no wonder.
fan4kufootball 6 years, 9 months ago
It appears that the kids votes matched the Douglas County voting - not the state of Kansas as a whole.
Jonathan Kealing 6 years, 9 months ago
I rewrote the headline to add the word local results. Sorry for any confusion.
Clevercowgirl 6 years, 9 months ago
No surprise here. A teacher friend told me this long ago: if you ask kids to vote, you will find out who their parents voted for. What's a polite word for duh?
David Teska 6 years, 9 months ago
We wished we'd known where the Kids Voting was conducted. Thinking it was at our polling place, a local church, our kids were disappointed when it wasn't set up there; we were told by a polling official it was only at schools (and don't know if that is correct). It's a great program all kids should have an opportunity to experience.
mfagan 6 years, 9 months ago
I'm sorry to hear that, dteska. I know organizers wish all polling sites could have had Kids Voting operations. A quick explanation: Kids Voting sites were at 46 polling locations in the county -- all of them adjacent to (often in a nearby room, or at a nearby table) as the regular polling places for official "adult" voting. (I spent time Tuesday at three of the Kids Voting sites -- two churches, plus the Willow Springs Township Hall. Kids Voting sites are not limited to schools.) Some polling sites, of course, didn't have Kids Voting locations. Those were determined because of traditionally low kids-voting turnout, and/or because there was another Kids Voting site close nearby. There should have been a sign or two at each of the "closed" Kids Voting sites, letting folks know where the nearest open one was. Kids don't need to "register" ahead of time, so they can vote at any of the open sites in town. Hope this helps, and that your kids look forward to their opportunity to vote two years from now. - Mark Fagan, reporter Member, Kids Voting Douglas County Committee
think_about_it 6 years, 9 months ago
So in reality the voters of Lawrence vote like children. Good thing the rest of the state are adults.
Clevercowgirl 6 years, 9 months ago
Maybe there is no polite word for "duh".
Nikki May 6 years, 9 months ago
We did the presidential elections last time at a preschool, just to see what they thought. Many don't vote with their parents. We gave them the pictures and names. Read the names to them things like that. Interestingly, a lot of 3rd parties got picked. Some kids based it on name sound, some on what they are wearing (I'll never forget a kid saying, "I'll vote for him because I like his tie".) And of course some voted based on the names they knew - and some said, "I'm going for this guy because my mom likes him". Unfortunately there are adults who vote like kids. Including those that voted republican. I know adult women who will vote for someone because their husband said it's the best candidate. ALL voters need to think.
Our kids don't know who we voted for at our house. I'm sure at presidential time we talk about it, but we really didn't do a lot of discussing this time around.
Clevercowgirl 6 years, 9 months ago
That's not what happens at elementary school.
Chris Golledge 6 years, 9 months ago
It'll be a day of pride when my kids and I have a reasoned argument/disagreement over who we vote for.
Clevercowgirl 6 years, 9 months ago
BTW, the real significance of kids voting, in my opinion, is teaching them to vote. Far too many parents don't vote.
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