Polls are open until 7 p.m. in Missouri, but all ballots were in before lunch at Eugene Field Elementary School.
The school held a mock election and each class, Kindergarten through 6th grade, voted for who they would like to see as the next president of the United States.
“I think everyone should get to vote and I think it was important for our school to vote so we could see who would win for our school since we don’t get to vote,” Logan Shoots, Student Council Secretary and sixth grader said. “But I think it was important for people to vote for their opinions.”
Shoots and other 6th graders in Mrs. Clinton’s class (no, not THAT Mrs. Clinton) said what they know about politics or this election they’ve learned from their family or the news. Shoots said he thinks it’s important for everyone to get out and vote today.
“Because America needs a leader and we need a leader to guide us so nothing bad happens,” Shoots said. “But if something bad happens we need someone to fix it.”
Sixth grade teacher Taylor Clinton said the Student Council was behind the mock election held Tuesday morning. They created the ballots that were distributed to all the classes. In Mrs. Clinton’s class, students voted two by two at a table in the corner of the room and then put their ballots into an empty Kleenex box and received a sticker.
In addition to voting, Clinton said they have a morning exercise called, “Writing into the Day.”
“Since the election is today, the prompt is, ‘Why is it important for Americans to vote?’ and then, ‘How much do you know about politics and where do you learn your information?’”
Clinton said the important part of the mock election is making sure students know their vote counts.
“We just really try to stress that every vote matters,” Clinton said. “A lot of the kids think, ‘Oh I’m just one person and my vote’s not going to make a difference.’ So we want them to know that when they do get to the voting age, that every vote counts and that they need to get out there and be heard, it’s important to stay informed and it’s never too young to start that process.”
Trump won by just 19 votes. Students cast 161 votes for Trump and 142 for Clinton.