By Barbara Scott
Staff Writer
On Friday, Oct. 29, eighth-grade students at the Caribou Middle School participated in a mock election, focusing on some of the key races in Maine. Students in Ralph Fantasia’s social studies classes reviewed information and the position for five official candidates in the gubernatorial race, as well as the four candidates vying for Maine’s congressional district seats. Students also reviewed the three referendum measures being decided by Maine voters this year.
According to the CMS students, Paul LePage would win election to the Blaine House on Nov. 2. Republican LePage received nearly 38 percent of the student vote, edging out Elizabeth Libby Mitchell (D), who received just over 34 percent. Independent candidates Eliot Cutler and Shawn Moody both received just under 13 percent of votes cast in the mock gubernatorial election, while Kevin Scott garnered just over 2 percent.
In the congressional races, both incumbents easily defeated their challengers. Chellie Pingree (D) was selected by more than 80 percent of the students who voted, while District 2’s Michael Michaud received more than 72 percent in his race against Jason Levesque (R).
In the ballot measures, CMS students rejected all three questions. For Question 1, the Oxford casino, students voted 52.3 to 47.7 percent against the issue. The biggest ballot measure defeat was Question 2, the dental access proposal with students voting No on 60.2 percent of the ballots cast. Question 3, the conservation measure was also defeated by a margin similar to that of Question 1.
