Student leaders choose a president

Caitlin Hudgins

Wednesday, June 30, 2004 | 9:08 a.m.

The 1,500 votes cast in a matchup between President Bush and Democratic challenger John Kerry Tuesday may not decide who ends up in the White House, but don't try to tell organizers of the mock election that the ballots of the nation's student council representatives did not count.

They were key votes because they taught those attending the National Association of Student Councils Conference -- all of whom have run for office at least once and some who may find themselves in politics again -- about the process, organizers said.

"It's not who wins that matters, it's putting them (students) through this process," national representative Michelle White said.

Arranged by the National Association of Student Councils Conference, the election was part of an annual gathering that aims to build the leadership skills of student council members.

Monday the students were given issue statements from Bush and Kerry without identifying which candidate belonged to each statement. On Tuesday the students received biographies of the candidates before casting their votes.

It was part of a learning process that the students said was more important than the outcome of their straw poll.

After casting her vote, New Yorker Lindsay Ullman said it didn't matter how the mock election turned out because "for the first time, kids are able to feel like part of the process."

A high school graduate who plans to study political science at Yale this fall, Ullman said that being interested in national politics is integral to becoming an influential member of student council.

"If you want to make a difference, if you want to be visible, if you want to be present in your community, student council is the place to do it," she said.

Troy Hashimoto of Hawaii expected a good variety of votes to be cast, given the diversity of people at the conference. He thought it could provide an accurate reflection of the November election, he said.

Rising senior Joe Semsar of South Carolina, who said he keeps up with national politics because he likes the way government in the United States works, said he'd like to see a new leader take charge in November.

"If you want change, you have to get involved," he said.

Silverado graduate and conference co-chairwoman Ashli Stauffer said she was not certain about which candidate she would end up choosing.

"I'll probably vote for Bush, but right now I'm undecided," she said.

No matter whom she chooses, though, Stauffer said the most important thing students over age 18 can do is vote.

The votes may not really count, but if these kids were picking, the next election would be as clear as the last one: Bush won the popular vote by fewer than 100 votes, while Kerry won a simulation of the electoral vote by 41.