Schools

Obama, Brown Win Kids Voting Stoughton Mock Election

Kids Voting Stoughton Election Results: Stoughton students split their ticket supporting President Barack Obama, a Democrat, and Senator Scott Brown, a Republican, taking part in Kids Voting Stougton's mock election Tuesday, Nov. 6.

Thanks to Kids Voting Stoughton, more than 1,000 Stoughton students in grades K-12 also got to vote on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 6 - and they showed an independent streak, differing from their parents and other adult voters in Stoughton (and statewide) in one key race.

Their votes didn't count towards the official election results, but this mock voting program simulated the adult voting experience.

Kids Voting Stoughton was held from 2 p.m. until 8 p.m. at the various polling locations around town, with 1,391 ballots cast. Students were able to vote for president, U.S. Senator, U.S. Representative in Congress, state senator and state representative.

Find out what's happening in Stoughtonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Stoughton students backed Barack Obama for President with 61.1 percent of the vote (850 votes) for the Democratic incumbent, followed by Republican nominee Mitt Romney with 32.6 percent (454 votes); Green-Rainbow candidate Jill Stein with 1.9 percent (27 votes); and Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson with 1.4 percent (19 votes).

Adults in Stoughton voted 58-40 in favor of Obama to Romney. Stoughton adults also voted in favor of Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren, 50.5 percent to 48.7 percent over incumbent Republican Scott Brown. Both Obama and Warren also won statewide.

Find out what's happening in Stoughtonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Stoughton students however, preferred Brown in the U.S. Senate race by a wide margin, 58.8 percent to 38.7 percent over Warren.

Incumbent Congressman Stephen Lynch, a Democrat, beat Republican challenger Joseph Selvaggi, 61.7 percent to 27.3 percent in the Kids Voting.

State Senator Brian A. Joyce and State Representatives Louis L. Kafka and William C. Galvin all ran unopposed.

Steve Kelley announced the results in a television show taped in the Great Hall at the Town Hall on election night.

Kids Voting Stoughton is part of the nationwide Kids Voting USA program, a nonpartisan program "working to secure the future of democracy by preparing young people to be educated, engaged citizens" according to its website. The first Kids Voting election in Stoughton was back in 1998.

Take a look at the full results below. Sponsors are also listed below. Photos from Kids Voting are posted in the gallery of this article.

Kids Voting Stoughton 2012 Results - 1,391 Votes Cast Democrat Republican Third Party President

Obama/Biden

850

Romney/Ryan

454

Stein/Honkala 27

Johnson/Gray 19

U.S. Senator

Warren

539

Brown

818

Representative in Congress

Lynch

858

Selvaggi

381

State Senator

Joyce

1,099

State Representative

Kafka

1,013

State Representative

Galvin

992

Turnout by Precinct 1 Dawe - 182; 2 Jones - 150; 3 South - 203; 4/5 Gibbons - 396; 6 Hansen - 182; 7 West - 160; 8 OMS - 175

Sharon Fradkin and Lynne Jardin, principal of the Gibbons Elementary School, serve as co-chairs of the Kids Voting Stoughton Steering Committee.

The program also gets a big boost from the Stoughton Public Schools. In addition to Jardin, Stoughton High School social studies department head John Gallivan is part of the Steering Committee.

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Marguerite Rizzi and Town Clerk Cheryl Mooney also provide support.

Jardin, Pat Basler, Steve Wilkinson, Amne Parsons, Joyce Husseini, Dolores Cummins, Beverly Harris and Mary Lou Giordano helped to count votes at Town Hall on Election Night and serve on the steering committee.

Students are also represented on the Steering Committee by Stoughton High Seniors Kelsie LaFerriere, Adam Lurie and John Stewart-Racicot.

About 100 students and adults helped to man the Kids Voting polls from 2 p.m. until 8 p.m. Basler, the director of the Stoughton Public Library is in charge of organizing the volunteer process.

The program is made possible in part thanks to financial sponsors Randolph Savings Bank; Malcolm & Parsons Insurance; The Bank of Canton; Lynne Jardin; League of Women Voters of Sharon/Stoughton; Stoughton Chamber of Commerce; Parent Prakop & Associates; STOYAC; Paula and Bill Galvin; Anita and Lou Kafka; The Fred and Nadine Team; Fernandes Insurance; The Golden Directory; Stoughton Bakery; and in kind sponsors Standard Modern Printing; the Stoughton Pennysaver; and The Wizard of Adz.


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