Boney Lake student favor Obama, McKenna in Mock Election

Students up to fifth grade only voted for I-1240, Presidential and Gubernatorial races. Grades 6-12 voted on all races.

The results are in and if were up to the students of Bonney Lake, Barack Obama would remain in the White House, but Rob McKenna would take over in Olympia as school kids in the city split their ticket in this year’s Mock Election, hosted by the secretary of state’s office.

According to results released Friday, 20 students cast ballots in the city, including eight from kindergarden through fifth grade and 12 in sixth through 12th grade.

Students up to fifth grade only voted for I-1240, Presidential and Gubernatorial races. Grades 6-12 voted on all races.

In the presidential race, 56.25 percent of the students voting selected President Obama as their pick with 43.75 choosing Republican challenger Mitt Romney.

Statewide, 69 percent of students chose Obama over Romney.

But showing a bit of a bipartisan streak, the numbers reversed in the governor’s race, where McKenna, the Republican, took home 62.5 percent of the votes to Democrat Jay Inslee’s 37.5 percent.

Inslee fared better statewide, however, winning a 57 percent majority of all student voters.

Students also voted on Initiative 1240, regarding charter schools, approving the measure by a margin of62.5 percent to 37.5 percent. Statewide, students narrowly approved the measure with 51 percent voting in the affirmative.

The Referendum 74 vote, on same-sex marriage, passed in Bonney Lake with 54.55 percent of the student vote, below the statewide approval numbers of 67 percent voting to allow sex-same couple to marry.

Finally, students in Bonney Lake and across the state voted down Initiative 502, which would legalize and tax marijuana. Bonney Lake students rejected the measure with a huge margin of 81.82 percent to only 18.18 in favor. Statewide, the results were closer, but 51 percent still rejected legalization.

In total, 38,848 students took part in the election, a record-shattering turnout. The previous record was 18,000, set in 2008.

“I’m really impressed with the huge increase in the number of students voting in this year’s Mock Election!” said Secretary of State Sam Reed in a press release. “A big thank you to the teachers and students in our state for their participation in this year’s Mock Election. It’s important to promote civic engagement and informed future voters in our state, and the Mock Election is a great way to do that.”

This is the ninth year that the Office of Secretary of State has conducted the Mock Election.