Charles Warner|Daily Times Ashtyn Song, first grade student, votes for president in one of the two voting booths set up on the stage in the cafeteria at Foster Park Elementary School on Monday. The school conducted a mock presidential election giving the school's students the opportunity to vote for either Barack Obama or Mitt Romney.

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Charles Warner|Daily Times Kathy Bryson, a volunteer at Foster Park Elementary School, watches as first grade student Jaden Henderson registers to vote in the mock presidential election held at the school on Monday. After registering to vote in the hallway, students then went into the cafeteria where they cast their ballots at the two voting booths set up on the stage.

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Photo courtesy of Buffalo Elementary School Rindi Whitlock gives an "I Voted" sticker to a student at Buffalo Elementary School during the school's mock election on Thursday.

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Photo courtesy of Buffalo Elementary School Brooke Lee, a parent volunteer, helps out at the mock election last Thursday at Buffalo Elementary School.

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Charles Warner|Daily Times First grade student Kaleigh Williams fills out her ballot at one of the election booths on the stage in the Foster Park Elementary School cafeteria during Monday's mock presidential election.

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Photo courtesy of Monarch Elementary School The Monarch Elementary School Student Council conducted a mock presidential election at the school on Friday. All students in the third, fourth and fifth grades voted for president.

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Charles Warner|Daily Times This sign the wall outside the side entrance to Buffalo Elementary School reminds everyone to vote, either in the mock election the school held Thursday or in the general election today.

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UNION — Barack Obama won mock elections at three local schools while Mitt Romney won mock elections conducted at a fourth school and by one school’s EMERGE program

Lockhart Schools, Buffalo Elementary, Monarch Elementary and Foster Park elementary schools held mock elections on Oct. 25, Thursday, Friday and Monday, respectively.

Lockhart Schools

Brandy Palmer, fifth- and sixth-grade teacher at Lockhart Schools, said her students and those of seventh- and eighth-grade teacher Jennifer Crocker took part in the Channel One News mock election. Palmer said the ballots were downloaded and printed to allow students to cast their votes and Romney received 66 percent to 33 percent for Obama. She nationwide, the mock election conducts by Channel One News was won by Obama who received 50 percent to 44 percent for Romney.

Buffalo Elementary

Heather Barnado, second grade chair at Buffalo Elementary, said Obama received 369 votes to 202 votes cast for Mitt Romney.

In addition to the presidential race, Barnado said students also voted for Union County Sheriff, giving incumbent David Taylor the nod with 375 votes to 111 votes for William Jolly and 77 for Marshall Adams.

Barnado said students also voted for mayor of the City of Union and again favored the incumbent, giving Harold Thompson the win with 263 votes to 134 votes for Torance Inman and 166 votes for Mike Stevens.

While at the polls for the mock election, Barnado said the fourth and fifth grades also elected their student councils.

The new members of the fourth grade student council are Ja Ruth, Laurel Treadway, Libby Fisher, Trey Greene and Trinity Morton.

The new members of the fifth grade student council are Kinsleigh Bradburn, Deidrick Montgomery, Jalaya Dawkins, Logan Mills and Delaney Lawson.

Monarch Elementary

There were two mock elections at Monarch elementary, one conducted by the Student Council for students in the third, fourth and fifth grades and one conducted by the EMERGE program for its students.

Anita Maness, principal, said that in addition to conducting the election, the Student Council also counted the votes. She said Obama received 159 votes to 58 for Romney.

While she didn’t have the vote totals for the mock election conducted by the EMERGE program, Maness said Romney was the winner.

Foster Park Elementary

Foster Park held its mock election Monday morning with students signing up to vote in the hallway and then casting their ballots at the polls on the stage in the cafeteria.

Barbara Palmer, principal, said students gave Obama the win with 349 votes to 161 for Romney.

Today

Schools are closed today for the election and several are serving as precincts including Buffalo Elementary for the East Buffalo precinct, Monarch Elementary for the Monarch Box 1 precinct and Foster Park Elementary for the Ward 1 Box 1 precinct.

Polls opened at 7 a.m. and will close at 7 p.m.

Editor Charles Warner can be reached at 864-427-1234, ext. 14, or by email at cwarner@heartlandpublications.com.