By Meaghan Wims
Journal Staff Writer

COVENTRY - So what if their votes were cast five days before Election Day. And okay, so they're not yet of legal voting age.

But the electorate at Coventry Middle School took its ( mock) election last week pretty seriously.

The students in Ted Mitchell's Contemporary Issues elective class spent the last several months stumping for governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state and U.S. congressional candidates. They polled the school, made campaign videos and designed flyers.

And after a schoolwide vote on Friday and the hand counting of nearly 900 student ballots, the winners were announced Monday morning over the school loudspeaker: Don Carcieri for governor, Matt Brown for secretary of state, and Sen. Jack Reed and U.S. Rep. James R. Langevin for reelection to Congress. The big winner: Robert Healey, the Cool Moose candidate for lieutenant governor.

“They love Healey because his Web site lets them sign up to get free campaign materials,” Mitchell said. “He's been kicking some serious butt.”

Just as excitement peaked for the “real” election, it was “crunch time” last week for campaigning at the middle school on Flat River Road, Mitchell said.

Their civics lesson revealed itself in the Magic Marker endorsements and bubble-letter bar graphs that covered the school walls.

“Matt Brown Brochure! YEAH!”

“Healey the Hippie. He Really is Good For Nothing.”

“MYRTH IS #1!”

“Vote for Jack Reed. You won't regret it.”

One poster declared its message clearly: Lt. Gov. Charles Fogarty's name, crossed out in black.

Last Thursday, Senator Reed visited the students to talk about Washington politics and his campaign for a second term. He was one of five candidates to visit the middle school this fall.

And while the students may have been a bit restless since it was, after all, Halloween (One student's hair was tinged with green; another's Harry Potter eyeglasses were swiftly swiped by a watchful teacher), they clearly knew the issues. Reed fielded questions on gun safety, improving urban schools, health-care costs and the death of U.S. Sen. Paul Wellstone, of Minnesota.

The school's top election issues? Improving education was first, not surprisingly, given the sample. This was followed by “decreasing taxes,” “decreasing pollution,” “increasing the amount of jobs in Rhode Island,” and “improving public roads,” according to a student poll. With the “real” election over, the students can now compare their results with the state's.

“They're sad it's over, in a way,” Mitchell said yesterday.

Mitchell said he hopes the mock election will inspire his students to become active voters once they turn 18.

“A lot of kids are more informed than the general public,” he said. “Hopefully, when it comes time for them to vote they will actually participate.”

“It's more about skills-building,” he said. “Campaigning is like marketing. They could probably use these skills to persuade their parents.”