Kids Pick the President
Encyclopedia
Kids Pick the President is a series of "campaign" specials produced by the Nickelodeon TV network
, organized around a mock election
to determine children's choice for the President of the United States
.
The 1992 election was sponsored by Target Corporation
, and promoted by newspaper advertisements. Children voted in-person at Target's stores, which were used as polling station
s.
In the 1996 election, conducted by televote
, children picked Bill Clinton
over Bob Dole
.
In the 2000 poll, 400,000 people participated via an 800 number. Both Al Gore
and George W Bush made campaign appearances at the Nickelodeon studios.
In 2004, Nickelodeon promoted the event with interstitials
throughout its regular programming, features in Nickelodeon Magazine, online activities, and a book. Both John Kerry
and George W. Bush
declined to appear, claiming they were too busy. The results were announced by Linda Ellerbee
on U-Pick Live
.
In 2008, 2.2 million people participated in the event. Both major candidates participated, and filmed television commercials promoting the event. Participants were allowed to vote, without any voter eligibility or verification, on a non-partisan page of Nickelodeon's website that outlined the candidates' positions on various issues. Barack Obama
received 51 percent (1,167,087 votes), and John McCain
received 49 percent (1,129,945 votes). Linda Ellerbee announced the results live again in 2008.
's win over Thomas E. Dewey in the 1948 election
and John F. Kennedy
's win over Richard Nixon
in the 1960 election
.
The "Kids Voting" election takes place in school classrooms, as part of a curriculum
exercise in the American democratic process, with different programs designed for kindergarten
through high school
students. It is a nationwide organization made up of local affiliates. Unlike the others, which generate publicity by announcing their results shortly before the general election, the Kids Voting election takes place on the actual election day.
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
, organized around a mock election
Mock election
A mock election is an election organized for educational or transformative purposes.- Mock election for educational purposes :...
to determine children's choice for the President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
.
History
The specials began in 1988 as part of a yearly "Kids Vote" election-related coverage, in part as a way to encourage children in Nickelodeon's audience to become engaged in the political process, and partly for comedic value.The 1992 election was sponsored by Target Corporation
Target Corporation
Target Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...
, and promoted by newspaper advertisements. Children voted in-person at Target's stores, which were used as polling station
Polling station
A polling place or polling station is where voters cast their ballots in elections.Since elections generally take place over a one- or two-day span on a periodic basis, often annual or longer, polling places are often located in facilities used for other purposes, such as schools, churches, sports...
s.
In the 1996 election, conducted by televote
Televoting
Televoting, telephone voting or phone voting is a method of decision making and opinion polling conducted by telephone. Televoting can also extend to voting by SMS text message via a mobile cell phone.- Broadcast contest televoting :...
, children picked Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
over Bob Dole
Bob Dole
Robert Joseph "Bob" Dole is an American attorney and politician. Dole represented Kansas in the United States Senate from 1969 to 1996, was Gerald Ford's Vice Presidential running mate in the 1976 presidential election, and was Senate Majority Leader from 1985 to 1987 and in 1995 and 1996...
.
In the 2000 poll, 400,000 people participated via an 800 number. Both Al Gore
Al Gore
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
and George W Bush made campaign appearances at the Nickelodeon studios.
In 2004, Nickelodeon promoted the event with interstitials
Interstitial program
In television programming, an interstitial program refers to a short program which is often shown between movies or other events, e.g. a cast interview after movies on premium channels...
throughout its regular programming, features in Nickelodeon Magazine, online activities, and a book. Both John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
and George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
declined to appear, claiming they were too busy. The results were announced by Linda Ellerbee
Linda Ellerbee
Linda Ellerbee is an American journalist who is most known for several jobs at NBC News, including Washington, DC correspondent, host of the Nickelodeon network's Nick News, and reporter and co-anchor of NBC News Overnight, which was recognized by the jurors of the duPont Columbia Awards as...
on U-Pick Live
U-Pick Live
U-Pick Live was a program that aired on Nickelodeon from October 14, 2002 to May 27, 2005 on weekday afternoons from Nickelodeon Headquarters in New York City's Times Square. Starting at 5:00 p.m. EST to 7:00 p.m. EST. The show allowed viewers to pick via internet voting the Nickelodeon shows,...
.
In 2008, 2.2 million people participated in the event. Both major candidates participated, and filmed television commercials promoting the event. Participants were allowed to vote, without any voter eligibility or verification, on a non-partisan page of Nickelodeon's website that outlined the candidates' positions on various issues. Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
received 51 percent (1,167,087 votes), and John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
received 49 percent (1,129,945 votes). Linda Ellerbee announced the results live again in 2008.
Other children's elections
The "Scholastic Election" has been conducted by Scholastic News every election year since 1940. It claims to have predicted the final election results correctly with two exceptions: Harry S. TrumanHarry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
's win over Thomas E. Dewey in the 1948 election
United States presidential election, 1948
The United States presidential election of 1948 is considered by most historians as the greatest election upset in American history. Virtually every prediction indicated that incumbent President Harry S. Truman would be defeated by Republican Thomas E. Dewey. Truman won, overcoming a three-way...
and John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
's win over Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
in the 1960 election
United States presidential election, 1960
The United States presidential election of 1960 was the 44th American presidential election, held on November 8, 1960, for the term beginning January 20, 1961, and ending January 20, 1965. The incumbent president, Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower, was not eligible to run again. The Republican Party...
.
The "Kids Voting" election takes place in school classrooms, as part of a curriculum
Curriculum
See also Syllabus.In formal education, a curriculum is the set of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. As an idea, curriculum stems from the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow to become mature adults...
exercise in the American democratic process, with different programs designed for kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
through high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
students. It is a nationwide organization made up of local affiliates. Unlike the others, which generate publicity by announcing their results shortly before the general election, the Kids Voting election takes place on the actual election day.
External links
- 2004 site
- 2008 site
- kidsvotingusa.org - official Kids Voting USA site