ARIZONA STUDENTS CHOOSE OBAMA, MCCAIN AS TOP PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES

February 05, 2008
Contact: Lara Slifko (602)340-7235
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Over 250,000 Participated in Kids Voting Arizona Presidential Preference Election
 
[Phoenix, AZ] Students from nearly 500 schools cast their vote in the Kids Voting Arizona Presidential Preference Election. With nearly 100 percent of participating schools reporting, Democratic Senator Barack Obama and GOP Senator John McCain are the top choices of Arizona’s Kindergarten through 12th grade students.
 
Kyra Wilson, a fourth grader at Marshall Ranch Elementary School in Glendale said, "Voting is important so that everyone’s opinion is heard. I wanted to vote so that my candidate can have a chance to be President. The United States wouldn't run well without a leader." Kyra voted online with her parents, yesterday.
 
Nearly one third of Kids Voting ballots were cast online and the rest of the 250,000 ballots were tabulated at school sites and at Kids Voting headquarters. Obama had an early 2 to 1 lead over all the Democrat candidates in the online poll. John McCain led his closest Republican opponent, Mitt Romney by 44 percent.
 
“An extraordinary number of Arizona schoolchildren experienced democracy first-hand today by casting a ballot in the Kids Voting Presidential Preference Election,” said Jeffrey Schrade, Senior Director for Kids Voting Arizona. “We hope that they will all vote again in the General Election November 4th, and that this will establish a life-long habit in our next generation of voters.”
 
Kids Voting Arizona provides its hands-on curriculum free to all Arizona schools that ask for it. The curriculum, when coupled with family exercises and an opportunity to vote in a Kids Voting election, has been shown to increase adult turnout by as much as 5%. Over 1 million votes have been cast by Arizona’s youngest citizens since Kids Voting Arizona started in 1988.
 
For full statewide results, visit www.KidsVotingAZ.org.
 
About Kids Voting Arizona
Kids Voting Arizona is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, grassroots-driven voter education program. As an organization, Kids Voting Arizona is committed to creating lifelong voting habits in children and increasing adult voter turnout. Through the Kids Voting Arizona program, Arizona is leading the fight against voter apathy. Kids Voting Arizona is administered through a partnership with the Arizona Foundation for Legal Services & Education.