Senator Barack Obama winner with Nick kids election

By April MacIntyre Oct 21, 2008, 2:54 GMT

Supporters of Democratic Presidential Nominee Senator Barack Obama listen as he addresses them at a rally outside Amway Arena in Orlando, Florida, USA on 20 October 2008. Senator Obama was joined on stage by Senator Hillary Clinton. EPA/CHRIS LIVINGSTON

If kids had their way, Senator Barack Obama would be the next president.

More than 2.2 million kids voted in the Nickelodeon network’s 2008 Kids Pick the President National Poll.

Senator Barack Obama has been declared the winner of Nickelodeon’s 2008 Kids Pick the President “Kids’ Vote”. 

They weren't buying the "socialist" and "terrorist" claims being heard from the right.  A record-breaking number of votes — upwards of 2.2 million — were cast in the network’s online poll.  Nickelodeon has held a “Kids’ Vote” every election year since 1988, and the kids have correctly predicted the winner in four out of the last five U.S. presidential campaigns.

In this election year’s Kids Pick the President “Kids’ Vote”, Senator Obama received 51% of the vote (1,167,087), and Senator McCain received 49% (1,129,945). 

Obviously, the Nickelodeon Kids Pick the President “Kids’ Vote” is not a scientific poll.  Kids were able to vote online and via Nick’s mobile website, or in Nicktropolis, Nickelodeon’s virtual world destination, from Oct. 12-20.

“Nickelodeon has a long history of empowering kids and providing them with an opportunity to voice their opinions,” said Cyma Zarghami, President, Nickelodeon Kids and Family Group. "The Kids Pick the President campaign has introduced them to the voting process, and hopefully will make them want to be active participants when they are old enough to vote.”

On Monday, Oct. 20, at 8 p.m. (ET), Linda Ellerbee, the Emmy Award-winning host of Nickelodeon’s Nick News, announced the winner of the sixth Kids Pick the President “Kids’ Vote” on Nickelodeon.

Said Ellerbee, “It’s important to take note of who won the ‘Kids’ Vote,’ simply because so many kids vote the way their parents will.  But what really counts is this: they participated in democracy.  They voted.  How can this be anything but good?”

Linda Ellerbee, courtesy of Nick

The “Kids’ Vote” is the culmination of the network’s year-long Kids Pick the President campaign, which was conceived to educate and empower kids across the country. 

This year’s campaign kicked off in January with the first-ever “Kids’ Primary”, which resulted in kids accurately predicting Senators Obama and McCain to win their respective party tickets.   Leading up to the Kids Pick the President online vote, Nick News aired four election-themed episodes including: “Kids Primary”; “Election Issues”; Tales from the Trail”; and “Kids Pick the President”. 

Additionally, this year Nickelodeon hit the campaign trail with its Election Connection Team–Lily Collins, Lil’ JJ and Pick Boy–providing kids with an insider’s look at the Democratic and Republican National Conventions through blogs, interstitial programming and PSAs.