By Donald Wittkowski
The "voting booth" was a converted cardboard box.
The "voters" were elementary school children ranging in age from 5 to 9 years old.
The stakes, nevertheless, were high. The presidency of the United States was decided Monday in an "election" at the Ocean City Primary School.
Democrat Hillary Clinton swept to victory by capturing 53 percent of the 333 votes that were cast, compared to 47 percent for Republican Donald Trump.
Trump supporters can be encouraged, though, by the results of similar mock elections held last week at the Ocean City High School and Ocean City Intermediate School. He prevailed at both of those schools, a school official said.
Anthony DeLeo, a third grade special education teacher, watches as students line up to have their names matched to a voters' registration list.
At the primary school, children in kindergarten through third grade had a fun time pretending to be authentic voters participating in a real election.
School officials said the election introduced the kids to some of the most crucial aspects of a democracy.
"It's making them aware of the importance of voting and having a voice in a democracy," said Cathleen Smith, the school principal.
The election also familiarized the children with some of the top issues facing the nation, said Joel Dougan, a school guidance counselor.
"The teachers talk about what the election can mean for the country and how the candidates are picked," he said.
Dougan joined up with Anthony DeLeo, a third grade special education teacher, to organize the election.
They took a large cardboard box that once contained a refrigerator and fashioned it into an ersatz voting booth draped with an American flag.
School Principal Cathleen Smith and Guidance Counselor Joel Dougan said the election introduced students to the fundamentals of democracy.
Dougan explained that school officials could have obtained a real voting booth from the Cape May County Board of Elections, but thought it would be too complicated for the children.
After having their names matched to a voters' "register," the students walked into the booth to pick their candidate. Votes were cast and tabulated by having them touch a picture of Clinton or Trump on an electronic tablet.
Afterward, the children posed for class photos and were each given "I voted" stickers to make it all official.
For their young age, the students showed a surprising grasp of some of the most heated campaign issues that have dominated the headlines.
"He's going to lower taxes. Who wants taxes?" 8-year-old Joe Watson, a third-grader who lives in Ocean City, explained of why he supported Trump.
He also said he voted for Trump because his father once worked at a Trump casino in Atlantic City.
Students voted by touching a picture of Trump or Clinton on an electronic tablet.
Clinton supporter Ayden Majors, 8, of Sea Isle City, said he opposes Trump's immigration policies.
"Some of the people won't be allowed here if Trump won," said Ayden, who is also in third grade.
Another third-grader, Olivia Cesari, 9, of Ocean City, said she enjoyed watching Trump on his reality TV show, "The Apprentice."
"He has a lot of talents. He's really funny," Olivia said of her reasons for choosing Trump.
Clinton supporter Maeve Geary, 8, of Ocean City, who is also in the third grade, took issue with Trump's leadership.
"I don't like Trump because of the decisions he would make," Maeve said.
Come Tuesday night, it will be clear whether the Clinton victory at the Ocean City Primary School was an accurate predictor of the real election.
