As part of a national mock election, Rhode Island youngsters prefer Sen. John Kerry over President Bush.

01:00 AM EDT on Friday, October 29, 2004

BY MICHAEL P. McKINNEY
Journal Staff Writer

Sen. John Kerry won big in Rhode Island's presidential election yesterday. Actually, he won small, tiny even, carrying the not-old-enough-to-vote set.

As part of a national mock election, Rhode Island students from close to 80 elementary, middle and high schools, public and independent, gave Kerry 7,090 votes, to 4,203 votes for President Bush, according to partial tallies last night. Ralph Nader got 500 votes. Three other candidates also received votes.

In the 1st Congressional District race, partial tallies showed Rep. Patrick Kennedy getting 974 votes to Republican challenger David Rogers' 203 votes. And in the 2nd Congressional District, students gave 1,835 votes to Rep. James Langevin, while GOP challenger Arthur Chuck Barton III got 671.

Phyllis A. Humphrey, the state coordinator for the mock election, said about half the results were in. She said participating schools represented a fraction of the state's schools, and she stressed that for the National Student/Parent Mock Election, "It is not their goal to predict the next election. We're trying to get students to develop an interest in voting."

Rhode Island's results were sent off to New Jersey, which hosted the tallying of national results last night.

At Gaudet Middle School in Middletown, voting was held from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. After voting, students sat down at cafeteria tables for pizza with moms and dads and pals.

Student Aaron Fanning backed Kerry because he said President Bush went into Iraq "for the wrong reasons" and has not been honest. Aaron's friend, Sebastien Pinto, however, voted for the president because he agrees with Mr. Bush's stands on abortion and gay marriage and what he sees as firm positions on Iraq and other issues.

Eighth grader Nicole Gutierrez supported Kerry, noting that "half my family likes George Bush and the other half likes Kerry."

Students, who had researched the candidates in preparation, asked for a paper ballot featuring six presidential tickets. Students filled in a space between two arrows next to the candidates' names.

Youngsters walked onto a stage where they were met by social-studies teacher Rick Taylor, wearing a red Snoopy tie and American-flag colored Converse sneakers. Each student picked a booth, filled in the ballot, then walked to a box and inserted their ballot.

Melinda Reis and her daughter Mary, a Gaudet Middle School fifth grader, had been doing pretty well at a Newport arcade when Mary decided she wanted to go vote. "I didn't know it was going to be such a huge deal," Melinda Reis said of the turnout and "seriousness" of the voting procedures.

Over at Middletown High, the gym could have passed for a presidential campaign rally. A band bashed out patriotic beats and some official-looking types hung around a lectern. On the other hand, one young man sported a multicolored wig. And a girl wore what looked like a prison jump suit. (Political statement or not, the costumes were part of the school's Spirit Week).

Secretary of State Matt Brown, whose office coordinated the Middletown High election to promote civic participation, announced to students that the Kerry ticket prevailed 283 votes to the Bush ticket's 152. Ralph Nader racked up 26 votes. Eighty percent of the student body voted.

Sophomore Cassie Jameson said one reason she backed Mr. Bush is "because I like what he's done do far . . ."

Cassie said her father is serving with the Rhode Island National Guard in Iraq and that she gets another perspective on life there than is sometimes portrayed on the news. She is glad the people were freed from Saddam Hussein. "It's not as bad as people are making it out to be," she said.

Junior Katie Homer, the style editor for the school newspaper, backed a candidate who, she said, is pro gay marriage and pro-choice. "A lot of my friends said I should vote for Kerry," Katie said. "I said, 'don't be a hater, vote for Ralph Nader.' "