Students at Mountain Valley High School and Buckfield Junior-Senior High School jumped into the election fray and held mock votes Tuesday, re-electing President Barack Obama to a second term by a wide margin.
At Mountain Valley, the incumbent president took 68.5 percent of the votes cast by 250 secondary students. At Buckfield, middle and high school students gave the president 69.6 percent of the 178 votes cast.
Former Gov. Mitt Romney received 24.8 percent of the votes at Mountain Valley and 29.7 percent in Buckfield.
Also in Buckfield, students elected independent former Maine Gov. Angus King to the seat held by Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe, with 60 percent of the vote. Democrat Cynthia Dill received 15 percent, and Republican Charlie Summers received 25 percent.
Students in the Buckfield school devoted many days prior to the election creating posters for their favorite candidates and holding a mock election between Romney and vice-presidential candidate, Paul Ryan, and Obama and Vice President Joe Biden. Students played the role of each candidate.
Also at MVHS, students overwhelmingly approved granting marriage licenses to same-sex couples by casting 71.8 percent of the vote on the referendum question. They also approved the four bond questions by wide margins. Question 2, $11.3 million for capital improvements received 61.3 percent; Question 3, $5 million for conservation issues, 61 percent; Question 4, $51.5 million for highways and roads, 65.8 percent; and Question 5, $7.9 million for drinking water systems and wastewater treatment plants, 65.4 percent.
A majority of MVHS students also voted to increase the academic requirements for senior privileges. Past practice has allowed seniors who are passing all classes to take advantage of the privileges. On Tuesday, 68.4 percent of students approved raising the requirements for such privileges to not only passing all classes, but maintaining a 3.0 grade. They also agreed to having checks on their grades every four weeks for eligibility, rather than each term.
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