Students at Wiscasset High School participated in a schoolwide bulletin board competition and mock election recently, sponsored by the social studies department

Each year, the Student Council holds the mock election to engage the student body in the process of casting ballots. Students use town voting booths brought to the school and set up by Bob Mac- Donald via town Administrative Clerk Christine Wolfe.

Wolfe also provides sample ballots so kids can get a more realistic experience of voting, according to school officials.

School officials said this year’s presidential election brought out a much larger number of student voters.

Principal Deb Taylor, Vice Principal Sue Poppish and Student Council adviser Deb Pooler said they met with each class — from freshmen to seniors — to review the ballots and ensure they got unbiased information about all issues on the state and town ballots.

Ninety students showed up at the polls during lunch to cast their votes Oct. 30, with results submitted to the Office of the Secretary of State.

Results saw President Obama receive 46 votes and Mitt Romney 31. Eight votes were write-ins, and libertarian Gary Johnson and Green Jill Stein got two votes each.

To fill the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Olympia Snowe, independent Angus King, of Brunswick, got 50 votes; Repuiblican Charlie Summers got 24; Democrat Cynthia Dill, seven; independent Danny Dalton, of Brunswick, three; and independent Andrew Ian Dodge, of Harpswell, two.

For the U.S. House, students “elected” U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree with 48 votes and gave Jonathan Courtney, the Republican challenger, 36.

In the race for Maine Senate District 20, Republican challenger and former state Sen. Les Fossel took 59 votes to Democratic Sen. Chris Johnson’s 28.

For Maine House District 53, Ray Soule, a Wiscasset Republican, got 62 votes to best Pittston Democrat Timothy Marks, who got 23 votes for the open seat.

Students endorsed the right for same-sex couples to marry, 57 to 32; and voted in favor of each of the bond referendums.