Approximately 153,000 K–12 students in all 50 states and the District of Columbia cast their ballots in the 2016 Scholastic News® Student Vote and the results are finally in.
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has been named the winner, with 52% of the student vote while Republican candidate Donald Trump received 35%. Thirteen percent of student voters wrote in “other” choices, which is a larger percentage than in past presidential elections. Write-in votes were cast for Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson (2%), Senator Bernie Sanders (1%), and Green Party candidate Jill Stein (1%), along with “Mom,” Kanye West, Harambe the gorilla, Spider-Man and “bacon.”
Check out the full results of the Scholastic News Election 2016 website, here: http://election.scholastic.com/vote.
Since 1940, the outcome of the Scholastic News Student Vote has mirrored the results of every presidential election, except two: Thomas E. Dewey vs. Harry S. Truman in 1948; and John F. Kennedy vs. Richard M. Nixon in 1960. This election year, when students were asked about what made them vote for one candidate over another, they pointed to Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump’s leadership experience, business acumen, and more.
Students who voted for Hillary Clinton explained:
- “I voted for Hillary because she will be the first woman president. Hillary is showing all women young or old you can do anything.” 6th grade student, Arizona
- “Hillary will make good decisions and do good things for America. She has the experience.” 4th grade student, New York
Students who voted for Donald Trump stated:
- “I would choose Trump because he would be good for business.” 5th grade student, Georgia
- “I voted for Donald Trump because he says that he will make America great again.” 6th grade student, Arizona
For ongoing coverage of the presidential election through November 8 and Inauguration Day, students can visit the Scholastic News Election 2016 website for news and information about the electoral process, including reports from the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps—the country’s oldest and largest national student reporting program.
