In Mock Votes, Students Give Clinton Solid Victory

By Laura Lang

As he did among grown-ups, President Clinton scored a solid victory over Republican challenger Bob Dole in several nationwide mock elections that allowed schoolchildren to weigh in on the presidential race.

In the largest such program, nearly 5.7 million students cast votes at schools and other polling sites as part of the National Student/Parent Mock Election, up from about 5 million in 1992. Fifty-four percent of the students voted for Mr. Clinton, while 32 percent favored Mr. Dole. Texas billionaire Ross Perot received 10 percent of the votes.

Support for the president among the youngsters exceeded that of actual voters overall. In the popular-vote tally, Mr. Clinton received 49 percent, Mr. Dole 41 percent, and...