Clinton Wins Students’ Votes

On election day at a Northridge day school, the older students voted for president and the state propositions and the younger ones picked their favorite fruit.

President Clinton won in a landslide among third- through ninth-graders in the unofficial election Tuesday at Abraham Joshua Heschel Day School. They favored the president by a 6-1 ratio over Bob Dole.

The students began preparations for election day weeks ago by studying the propositions, educating one another on the pros and cons of each choice and making banners for three presidential candidates. They even filled out voter registration forms.

Held in the computer lab of the private Jewish school, the mock election was conducted electronically, with nearly 330 students recording by computer their choice for president and six propositions on the California ballot.

“It’s fun to get a feel of what it’s going to be like when we’re 19 or 20,” sixth-grader Sara Gatig said of the mock election.

The students said they enjoyed the exercise in democracy.

“A vote really does make a difference,” said 11-year-old Clinton supporter Joyce Glasberg. “It may not seem like much, but it could be half for Dole and half for Clinton and that one vote can decide it.”

The voting results of the younger students were not available, but the strawberry was the choice of many as their favorite fruit--to consume at snack time.