Mock vote gives victory to Obama

CARSON CITY -- Republican presidential candidate John McCain can forget about getting the youth vote -- that is, the really youthful vote -- in Nevada.

In the first-ever statewide mock election involving Nevada school students, Democrat Barack Obama was the overwhelming choice as he picked up 75 percent of 22,003 votes.

Students, parents and faculty members participated in the election, conducted online between Oct. 20 and Thursday. The election was coordinated by the secretary of state's office and the Nevada Department of Education.

That students are emphatically Democratic showed in other results. Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., and Democrat candidate Dina Titus were big winners in the congressional races in Southern Nevada. In rural Nevada, Democrat Jill Derby carved out a 200-vote victory over Rep. Dean Heller, R-Nev., in what has been a stronghold Republican congressional district.

In all, 140 elementary, middle and high schools participated in the mock election. In Western High School in Las Vegas, 2,300 votes were cast.

"The success for our mock election goes to the students in my AP U.S. Government class," said Craig Fabbi, a Western High School government teacher. "A registrar of voters was selected by the class and he assigned various committees to promote and conduct the election throughout the school."

Kim Carrubba, program officer for the secretary of state, said some schools had speakers and discussed the election in government classes.

Carrubba said students' voting habits probably are influenced by their parents, but the Obama landslide was a surprise.