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Olathe preschool holds mock-election for presidential mascot

Posted at 5:00 PM, Nov 07, 2016
and last updated 2016-11-07 18:00:56-05

Election Day is Tuesday and some people are getting a head start on voting; more like a 14 year head start.

Some young voters at the Primrose School of North Olathe were eager to cast their ballot on Monday.

Four-year-old Naomi Floyd was one of those voters.

“I’m excited,” she said with a smile.

Owner of the Primrose School of North Olathe, Sunita Sanjanwala says it’s about young students learning about civic duty.

“The easiest way to do it is to practice it, and try to do it at their skill and their level and make sure that they kind of understand what is going on as well.” Sanjanwala said.

Learning about elections and debates, these young preschoolers will be voting on their new presidential mascot: Billy the Duck or Percy the Rooster. They also voted on their favorite patriotic snack.

“The students use these puppets in the classroom all day long and so they know what they stand for. They know what they’re about,” Sanjanwala said. “We also did a little debate so the children can see what they stand for and what they mean.”

After receiving their voter registration card, and waiting in line, it was time for the preschoolers to vote, learning about the importance of Election Day.

“If you vote, you could get better stuff,” Naomi said.

“We want to encourage them at a young age to understand what their voice means. And what that process entails,” Sanjanwala said.

Naomi and her classmate Brette Plummer weren’t shy on who they voted for.

“I voted for Billy,” Naomi said. “And I voted for Billy,” Brette said.

Although these young voters still have some time before they cast a ballot in a General Election, Sanjanwala says it’s never too early to practice.

“We want them to understand that this is a big deal now and it's going to be a big deal later. And so that way they become good citizens,” Sanjanwala said. "They’re going to be taking care of us when they're 20, 30, 40 years old and so this is a good way to learn at this age that this is just as important at three as it is at 25.

Even though it was a close race, Billy the Duck won the most votes and became the new presidential mascot.

This is the first time the Primrose School of North Olathe has done an election for its preschoolers.

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Rae Daniel can be reached at Rae.Daniel@KSHB.com.

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