NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Nashville teen Ericca Goodman recently voted in her school district’s mock election, casting her ballot for Donald Trump.
“There’s a lot of names on there I didn’t really know,” Goodman, a black senior at John Overton high school, told Nashville Public Radio. “I just knew like three … Hillary Clinton, Trump, and … another guy. An old guy. I can’t remember what his name was.”
MORE NEWS: From Classroom to Consulate Chef: Culinary Student Lands Dream Job at U.S. Embassy in Paris
The vast majority of Nashville’s voting age students, however, do know who the “old guy” is, and voted overwhelmingly to elect Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders as the next President of the United States in a mock election involving 444 students in four schools.
The effort was organized by the Davidson County Election Commission and the Mayor’s Youth Council to introduce students to the voting booth. Nashville set a record 2,865 student voting registrations through a registration drive that featured two dozen school assemblies hosted by leaders like Congressman Jim Cooper, according to NPR.
In the recent mock election, students cast their ballots for Sanders over Hillary Clinton by a margin of almost two-to-one in the left-leaning city. On the Republican side, Donald Trump received the most votes at 42, though he was also strongly ridiculed by some students.
“Donald Trump is racist and I just dislike him, period,” Ben Carson supporter Daniel Nolan told the news site. “I’m highly motivated to vote because I’m just hoping Donald Trump doesn’t get into office.”
Overton High School 17-year-old Vadar Galnasky said he supports Sanders to “build a strong middle class.”
“You know, he’s part of the 99 percent,” Galnasky said.
MORE NEWS: Know These Before Moving From Cyprus To The UK
Aside from the presidential contest, Nashville teens also weighed in on local questions about needed resources and community issues.
The majority of voters in the mock election – 66 percent – said they believe their schools have the resources needed to succeed, while others called for more “college readiness, internships and technology,” NPR reports.
“They were also asked which community issue matters the most,” according to the news site. “Education led the way in that category, followed by human rights and crime.”
“It was stressful, because there’s a lot of questions!” Overton student Huda Hasan said.
A similar mock election – though not restricted to voting age students – at New Hampshire’s Nashua High South earlier this month mirrored Nashville’s results.
Of the total 611 votes cast in the primary style election, 81 percent of students voted for Sanders, and 18 percent for Clinton on the Democratic ticket. For Republicans, Trump won with 36 percent, followed by Florida Senator Marco Rubio with 26 percent. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Texas Senator Ted Cruz each garnered 9 percent, New Hampshire Public Radio reports.
“”I like Bernie because he’s bringing awareness of social issues that others aren’t talking about. I like the idea of free college. I’m not sure how he’s going to be able to do that,” Nashua sophomore Jaimie Engells said.
Senior Andre Marshall also thinks Sanders’ positions on college affordability, heath care, taxes, and other issues are “super.”
“They all represent what I believe in,” Marshall told NHPR. “Like his gun control. He’s also super up there on gay marriage which super-represents me.”


Join the Discussion
Comments are currently closed.