ATHENS — Mercer County voters have been casting early ballots for a week, and students at Athens School followed suit Tuesday.

Students in grades 4-8 are taking part in the election excitement by doing their patriotic duty and casting votes in the National Parent/Student Mock Election, a technology driven initiative to make young people an integral part in the campaign and election processes before they are in charge of choosing a president.

It also gives young people a chance to make their voices heard.

“For once, we actually get an opinion, even though it doesn't really count,” seventh-grader Karly Ball said, labeling the Iraq war, gasoline prices and the overall direction the country is headed as issues that weighed heavy in her decision.

“In the classrooms of today are our future presidents, members of Congress, governors and judges, but most importantly, these young people are the voters of tomorrow,” NSPME President Gloria Kirshner said. “Whether we are sending these children to the White House or to the polls, we hope to give them a deep understanding of 'government of the people, by the people and for the people.'”

In Athens, the voting started in the school's Success Lab Tuesday morning, where they had a chance to vote for president, members of Congress and governor. A second ballot also invited them to learn about and vote on the major issues of the campaign, including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and America's troubled economy.

Though the school conducted a mock election in 2006, those ballots were cast on paper and tabulated by the members of the Student Government Association. This time, the vote took a more technical turn.

“They actually have a site to go to, where they can enter their votes, and they'll be counted nationally,” Success Lab director Melissa Boothe said.

Even though the votes won't decide any of the real-world elections, the students took the process seriously.

Seventh-grader Michael Keckhafer said he was a little nervous before sitting down at a computer to cast a vote. He listed the economy and abortion as key issues in his decision.

“Personally, I believe more like McCain does, but at the same time, I don't believe a mother should be forced to carry a baby if her life is in danger,” he said.

Meanwhile, Rebecca Gilley said global warming and education topics interest her the most. She examined the candidates on those issues before deciding who would get her vote.

Gilley didn't take the mock election too personally, but she believed students should make their decisions independently of their parents' opinions.

“Too many kids wind up voting for who their parents support,” she said.

Drew McClanahan, a Concord University student teacher who helped organize the Athens mock election, said he was proud of the students and the analytical ways they approached the election.

“Each week, I would give the kids an opportunity to talk about current events, and most of the talk would be about the election,” he said.

At first, he said the conversations centered primarily on advertising and negative campaign tactics, but soon, he said the students dug through the campaign rhetoric and found the real issues facing America and the next president.

“We've really hit on everything from the war to the economy to scare tactics,” he said. “A real thing that concerns me as a future teacher is the ability to pick out truth from falsehood.”

McClanahan also worried that negative campaign messages would unfairly skew votes and election results.

“The candidates are doing just as much to shape minds with negative ads, as teachers are with positive reinforcement,” he said.

The nation's next four years may rest heavily on whichever candidate walks away from Nov. 4 victorious, but the nation's future is waiting on the students who cast their votes this week. For them, McClanahan said the experience had been very valuable and encouraging.

“We've had some heated discussions and debates, but it's been an excellent exercise for the kids to see what other beliefs are out there,” he said. “Really, the foundation of America is respecting each others' beliefs and taking the responsibility of voting seriously.”

The results of the Athens vote will be available after mock voting ends Oct. 30, at which time, teachers said they could learn the local tallies, as well as how they stack up to national statistics.

— Contact Tammie Toler at ttoler@ptonline.net.