Obama Versus McCain: My Children's Perspective on Voting and the Presidential Race

With the presidential election so close in North Dakota this year, my children have overheard me talking about politics a lot. They have also talked about the presidential election in their classrooms. My son, 6, and my daughter, 4, both had some very solid opinions on who should be president, what the president does, and why it's important to vote. Since this is the first time I've been able to discuss the presidential election with my children, I was delighted to hear their perspective on the process.

My daughter's class at HeadStart voted today for the president. She said, "Mom, we voted for our next president, and Block [sic] Obama got 11 votes. I voted for Block Obama." When I asked her who the other presidential candidate is, she replied, "Jane McCon."

When I asked her why she voted for Barack Obama and not John McCain, she answered, "Because the other guy is old."

She said Barack Obama would make a good president because he will "give piggyback rides and give out free candy."

My son's first grade class did not vote for the president today, but when I asked him who he would have voted for, at first he said he wanted the same president "we've always had." When I explained that President Bush's term is ending, my son then answered, "That 'J' guy." I think he meant John McCain.

He claimed he would have voted for John McCain over Barack Obama because he doesn't know what Barack Obama looks like.

When I asked my son why John McCain would make a good president, he said, "Because he's gonna build an army to protect the United States."

I then asked my children some follow-up questions about the United States government.

What does a president do?

My daughter: He runs the country.

My son: He makes jobs.

How much do you think the president gets paid?

My daughter: I think the president makes $89 a year.

My son: I think it's $100 a year.

What does the vice president do?

Like Sarah Palin, neither of my children knew what the vice president does.

Where does the president live?

My daughter: They told us today at school that he lives in a white house, not a brown house.

My son: The White House, but I have no idea where that is. Is it in Africa?

My daughter: No silly! It's in the United States of Mamerica [sic].

Why is it important to vote?

My daughter: Because it makes you get a new president.

My son: It's important to vote because it's cool.