Four More Years!

President Barack Obama defeats Mitt Romney to earn another term

After months of campaigning, the 2012 presidential election came to an end last night.

President Barack Obama defeated former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney to earn four more years in the White House.

President Obama won the popular vote 50 percent to 49 percent, as of early Wednesday morning. But he won nearly 300 electoral votes, with Florida still not called for either candidate. The first candidate to 270 electoral votes is declared the winner.

At a rowdy Election Night event in Chicago, was met with wild, loud, and long cheers. First Lady Michelle Obama joined him on stage, then left the President by himself to deliver his victory speech. 

Check out the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps website for the rest of the story!

—Kid Reporters Natalie Wexler and Coleman Hirschberg

Photo: President Barack Obama waves as he walks on stage with First Lady Michelle Obama and daughters Malia and Sasha at his election night party Wednesday, November 7, 2012, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) 

Voting in Colorado

Colorado voters have been bombarded with political ads these past few months. Colorado is what they call a “swing state,” which means it usually is split right down the middle between Democrats and Republicans. Because of this, each party does anything they can to convince voters to vote for them. Television ads, radio ads, billboards, signs, and rallies are just some examples of the media attention Colorado has been receiving.

Many Coloradans are starting to get annoyed. Corie Rajala, the Slavens K-8 School Spanish teacher, stated that the amount of money spent on ads negatively affected the overall vote of the people. She is not alone in thinking this. Linda Brown, a Slavens parent, agreed with Mrs. Rajala. She was relieved the election is over.

What exactly goes on in a polling booth? Many non registered voters, meaning kids, may not know. There’s a Supervisor or Election Judge. They are in charge. When people enter, they go to the first desk where there is a large book of all the registered voters in that area. If you are not for some reason in the book, then you can still vote but you have to fill out papers and the process is longer. Then you get your ballot and you stand in a voting booth. In here, you are surrounded on all or three sides so no one can see your vote. Then there are two boxes. One is labeled “Mail-In Ballot,” one is a computer voting machine. Citizens also have an option to fill out the ballot at home and send it in, or drop it off at a local poll.

The boxes have a lot of security on them. First, the supervisor has to show everyone that its empty before locking it and putting a plastic tag with a number on the lock. If the tag is removed, they know that the boxes have been tampered with. There is also security with the computer ballot. First you need to go the first desk, but instead of receiving a ballot you receive a number. Someone else turns that number into a card. You stick that card in the machine and begin voting. The computer keeps track of all the votes that have been submitted on that certain machine. This way, the staff can know that when they get the computer, if it says zero, then it has not been tampered with or cheated. Each staff must go through about eight hours of training to work in the Poll room. A Supervisor and his assistant must have an extra four hours of training. Any media must stand 100 feet away from the poll in order to conduct an interview.

In the end, Barak Obama won the election against Mitt Romney. Colorado didn’t get a chance to be called one way or another until after his victory. We did eventually end up blue, or Democratic, but the margin was extremely slim — just like in many states all over the country.

—By Kid Reporter Jenna Winocur

Georgia votes Romney on Election Day

The polls closed in the state of Georgia at 7 p.m. along with the polls of all other states on the Eastern seaboard. Election Day had ended and now Georgians could just wait. As major TV stations such as NBC News, CNN, ABC News, and CBS News projected the results of the presidential campaign, I couldn’t wait for Georgia’s results to come out.

The Peach State has traditionally been a Republican state and has voted for the Republican candidate in seven of the previous 10 Presidential general elections. But several of the voters that I had interviewed earlier today at our local polling place had cast their ballots for President Obama, and I was extremely curious to see if our state would change sides during this Election season.

It was quite exciting waiting for the results, and finally they were announced at 8 p.m. Georgia was called for the Republican nominee, Governor Mitt Romney. This win now brought him 16 electoral votes closer to the White House. And it marks the fifth consecutive Presidential election that Georgia has been a red state.

With 96 percent of precincts reporting, here are the results: Governor Romney won 53.2 percent of the vote and President Obama won 45.7 percent. 1.4 percent of people voted for another candidate. Romney won by a larger margin in Georgia than Republican John McCain did in the state four years earlier, also against Barack Obama.

Other races that Georgians watched for on Election Night were the House of Representatives elections. For the 14 Congressional districts in Georgia that held House elections, 13 incumbents were re-elected including Representative Tom Price of District 5, who has agreed to be interviewed by this Kid Reporter several times.

As the final national election results come out, it has become apparent that incumbent President Barack Obama has won re-election, just like what Scholastic readers predicted in the Scholastic Student Vote. Election Day is winding to a close and so is this Election season that has been so exciting and so close between the two candidates.

—Kid Reporter Andrew Liang

President Obama took Virginia, Maryland, and Washington D.C.

President Obama won four more years from Virginians in what was a long, dead-heat, exhausting race not just for the two candidates, but for Virginian voters as well. Barack Obama also received all 10 electoral votes from Maryland and three from Washington DC.

All eyes were on the swing states, including Virginia, one of the key battlegrounds in the presidential race. Virginia carried Obama with its 13 electoral votes in 2008 in a state that has been voting Republican for the last 10 elections. The margin was narrower for Obama this time around, just like in other key states, but it was enough for the President to claim victory.

Virginia also delivered one of the 33 Senate seats up for grabs for the Democrats by electing former Governor Tim Kaine with 51.63 percent of the votes over former Senator George Allen who got 48.18 percent. This was the most expensive senatorial race in country, with an estimated at $84 million spent by the combined campaigns.

Ten minutes after 11 p.m., Allen conceded the elections to Kaine, urging his supporters not to give up fighting for the principles behind his campaign. “It’s not our cause. It’s America’s cause. Stand strong for freedom.”

Maryland re-elected incumbent Senator Ben Cardin with 53.54 percent of the vote, and confirmed a strong Democratic delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives: John Sarbanes, Steny Hoyer, Elijah Cummings, and Chris Van Hollen, among others. Newcomer John Delaney won Maryland District 6 with 58 percent of the ballots cast.

Turnout vote in 2012 looked a lot like 2008 in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington D.C. There were long lines at the polls throughout the day, in very cold, below average temperatures, but people did not give up. Some precincts in DC were slowed by machine problems and equipment malfunctions, but voters in the Capital said they never saw such long lines of people waiting to cast their ballot.

Virginia electorate was bombarded with Get-Out-The-Vote calls from both the Romney and Obama campaigns. Voter frustration and fatigue took over, as appeals poured in from both sides. Maryland volunteers were summoned to call Virginian supporters of the two candidates and remind them to vote.

“I think the victory today all across the country is going to be determined by already decided voters and who gets the most of them out”, Maryland State Senator Ron Young told this Kids Reporter earlier in the day.

Letty Carpenter, one of the Maryland Obama volunteers calling Virginia said, “I developed a real connection with voters when I was familiar with the road they lived on, and it turned out that some of the people I called knew my husband. And that was real rewarding. This is very important because every vote counts.”

Virginia polls closed at 7 p.m., but hundreds of people who got to their voting place before the expiration deadline were still in line waiting to vote close to 10 o’clock in Prince William, Fairfax, Chesapeake and Virginia Beach. Their vote was extremely important to both parties, and the Obama campaign urged people via Twitter to stay in line until they were able to cast their ballot.

Virginia was the second to last state to be called in favor of the President, just before Florida, at 45 minutes past midnight. Governor Romney conceded the elections to President Obama 10 minutes later.

—Kid Reporter Hannah Prensky 

President Obama Wins in Oregon

President Obama officially won the seven electoral votes required for the state of Oregon. As of Tuesday evening, President Obama was projected as the winner of the presidential race over Mitt Romney in the state.

As people around the United States lined up at the polls to vote for this nation's next leader, Oregonians stayed home because of voter by mail.

Instead of heading to the polls to cast their votes in favor of the Democratic Presidential candidate, Oregonian voters mailed in their votes and were able to follow the election news  across the state via television, computers, and social media announcements.

"I have two feelings about voter by mail" Patrick Nearing, a trumpet teacher and chef in Portland expressed about voting in Oregon. "One is that I think it is a great way to do business long as we can trust the commissioners, and it's great for people who can't get off work to vote, since it is convenient."

However, people still miss going to the polls. "I miss going to the polls because it is an important community action. This is because no matter what party you are from, you meet your neighbors there," Patrick said.

Although Oregon voted a Democratic majority and President Obama won tonight, the state does have many Republican counties. This state has lots of people who are conservative.  "This whole idea, liberal or conservative, divides our nation in a way that is not constructive and people should not be labeled. We have to work together, so everybody's vote counts," Nearing said.

In Oregon, the election wasn't just a focus for the adults. At schools around the state, as parents cast their votes by mail, students participated in mock elections during the school day. At Poynter Middle school in Hillsboro Oregon, which is mainly Democratic state, children cast their "ballots" with an Obama majority. Most of the kids already knew who their parents voted for or who they would select because of voter by mail.

Poynter Middle School principal Greg Timmons said, "I thought this school election was awesome because 400 kids came to vote, even giving up their lunch time. I think it teaches students to be politically active and it sets healthy habits of being active in politics." The principal feels that the kids usually follow their parents' beliefs so the mock election is pretty accurate. "Very often parents are the biggest influence on the opinions of their kids," he said.

As Obama has gotten hold on the Pacific states, the election has come to a close. Obama has won most of the key battleground states, including Ohio. Oregon, one of his many safe states, has voted, and has chosen our next President.

—Kid Reporter Jacob Schroeder

No surprise: President Obama wins California

President Obama wins the state of California. This isn’t a big shocker. California is a strongly Democratic state. Polls have consistently showed President Obama as the projected winner. A majority of counties in California lean Republican, however the most populated counties in California lean Democratic.

California holds 10 percent of the electoral college. This gave Obama a significant amount of the electoral college votes he needed to win. It is never treated with as much importance as states such as Ohio and Florida, but is has significantly contributed to the wins of Democratic Presidents.

While the electoral college votes have been called for President Obama, lines were so long that people are continuing to vote. Ballot issues are still being decided.

—Kid Reporter Miranda Rector

Celebration in Chicago!

The crowd has not stopped dancing, clapping, singing, waving their little American flags, and cheering since the news was announced that President Obama will serve another term. The music is loud, and so is the crowd! Now, everyone is waiting for the arrival of the President.

More to come!

—Kid Reporter Natalie Wexler

Hawaii voters want the right man for the job

With only a few hours left before the polling sites close on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, eager voters pull into Kalani High school's parking lot, ready to make the decision of who they want to be President for the next four years. As some voters make their way into the building, others file out relieved to be done with the election.

When Debbie Kuwamoto was asked if she was relieved that the election was over she happily exclaimed, "Yes!" The same response came from many other people who had just finished voting. With Hurricane Sandy just recently hitting New York, extra pressure was put on the voters, and many people were ready for the whole process to be over.

People also said that they were "anxious for a change in the presidential office." When Carole Losner was asked what type of change she was looking for, she answered, "I want a President who can improve the economy and provide more jobs." A few others said that they were hoping that small businesses, security, and healthcare would also be improved by the elected president.

Many people said that they thought the election would be a close call, but they were glad that we had two candidates who are willing to serve our country for the next four years. As Election Night comes to a close, Carole Losner says, "I just hope the right man gets the job."

—Kid Reporter Jessica Taylor

California is (mostly) Democratic again

Reaction to the presidential race was mixed as voters left the polls in California, where a contentious measure to ban the death penalty in the state was also on the ballot.

“I voted for Barack Obama,” said Bonnie Mintun as she left her polling place in mid-afternoon. “I think he’s just getting started and deserves four more years to finish the job. As far as the death penalty goes, I don’t believe in taking a life as punishment.”

Mintun’s voting sentiments were opposed, however, by 50-year-old John Parker, who admitted to being a bit more conservative than many voters in his home state.

“The hard part for me is that I think our country is in trouble right now and I don’t really like either candidate, but I generally vote conservative, so I took Mitt Romney,” Parker said.

Citing his feeling that “there are many bad people in the world” and that California’s prisons are overcrowded, Parker was confident in his vote to retain the death penalty.

For Sonya Mogilner, the deciding issue in her vote for Obama was healthcare. “I’m a health care professional and I think the Affordable Care Act was necessary for our country,” noted Mogilner.

Shelley Westin, who showed up at the polling booth with four young children in tow, said the overriding concern that gave her vote to Romney was his different approach on healthcare.

California State Senator Lois Wolk was solidly in the Obama camp, citing the President’s efforts to stimulate the economy, the auto industry bailout and health care reform.

“I believe it’s time for the next generation to take over,” Wolk said, “And he and his family represent that to me.”

No matter how they voted, however, to a person everyone seemed pleased that the long election season was finally over.

“I’m very happy,” Mogilner said. “Now maybe I can watch some different commercials on TV.” That sentiment was echoed by Mintun, who noted it was “time to get back to work.”

Editor's Note: California was called for President Barack Obama earlier tonight. Stay tuned to scholastic.com/election for full vote counts.

—Kid Reporter Maev Dunning

North Carolina goes for Romney

 At 11 p.m., it was announced that North Carolina’s 15 electoral votes would go to Mitt Romney. North Carolina was a swing state in this election and thus a vital win for Romney. It was a close race all night, but it is not much of a surprise that he won, as North Carolina usually votes Republican. However, in the 2008 election, North Carolina unexpectedly voted for Barack Obama.

But after President Obama’s win in Ohio, it proved that winning this swing state will not be enough for Romney — President Obama will be serving as President for the next four years.

—Kid Reporter Katharine Richardson