Campaign 2008

Kids also voted, and they favored Obama, Franken

by Tom Weber, Minnesota Public Radio

President-elect Barack Obama didn't just win Minnesota's electoral votes in last week's election. He also won the kids' vote.

St. Paul, Minn. — Students in about 40 school districts across the state took part in 'Kids Voting Minnesota'. The students went with their parents to polling places and cast their own ballots in statewide and congressional races.

More than 75,000 students voted, with Barack Obama besting John McCain by more than 27,000 votes. Obama's 67 percent with the kids compares to the 54 percent he garnered from the adult vote.

The kids mostly voted the same way their parents did, with a couple exceptions: Democrat Elwyn Tinklenberg beat Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann by 13 votes.

Lars Sandstrom, the executive director of Kids Voting Minnesota, said Democrats tended to fair better because more of the participating districts are in Democratic-leaning areas.

"It's kind of the habit-development thing at the habit-development age," Sandstrom said.

But the mission, he adds, is non-partisan.

"Get the kids into the habit of being informed voters so that when they turn 18, they will more naturally vote."

The U.S. Senate race was also close. Al Franken won by 681 votes, but unlike the adults, this race won't have a recount.

Here's a rundown of the results from Kids Vote 2008.

Total ballots cast: 75,789

• President

  John McCain 22,414

  Barack Obama 49,648

  Others 1,700

• U.S. Senate

  Dean Barkley 7,218

  Norm Coleman 26,780

  Al Franken 27,461

  Others 3,238

• Congress - 1st District

  Greg Mikkelson 422

  Brian Davis 1,245

  Tim Walz 1,951

• Congress - 2nd District

  John Kline 4,919

  Steve Sarvi 2,691

• Congress - 3rd District

  Dave Dillon 321

  Erik Paulsen 944

  Ashwin Madia 772

• Congress - 4th District

  Ed Matthews 4,793

  Betty McCollum 9,926

• Congress - 5th District

  Bill McGaughy 642

  Barb White Davis 1,253

  Keith Ellison 4,169

• Congress - 6th District

  Bob Anderson 399

  Michele Bachmann 1,171

  Elwyn Tinklenberg 1,184

• Congress - 7th District

  Glen Menze 2,102

  Collin Peterson 3,579

• Congress - 8th District

  Michael Cummins 1,681

  James Oberstar 2,444

• Constitutional Question

  YES 15,644

  NO 6,066

• MN Supreme Court Seat 3

  Paul Anderson 18,343

  Tim Tinglestad 13,673

• MN Supreme Court Seat 4

  Lorie Gildea 17,024

  Deborah Hedlund 18,942