Kids throughout the nation will be able to participate in their own “presidential primary,” a unique feature this year that is part of Nickelodeon’s quadrennial political awareness campaign for children dubbed Kids Pick the President.
The network said that kids participating in past campaigns -- designed to build young citizens’ awareness of the election process -- correctly predicted four out of the last five presidents.
The year-long initiative will kick off Jan. 13 with the special Nick News with Linda Ellerbee: The Kids’ Primary, which will debut Jan. 13, at 9 p.m.
Ellerbee will explain how presidents are elected, detailing the primary system, identifying the candidates and the differences between Republicans and Democrats.
“Though kids can’t vote in the general election, we find that they are incredibly attuned to the issues and are paying attention to the presidential candidates,” said Marva Smalls, executive vice president of public affairs, chief of staff for Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids & Family Group.
Beginning this week, kids can log onto http://www.nick.com/kpp to learn about each candidate. From Jan. 13-18, kids can vote online for their candidate in the primary election. The results will be announced by Ellerbee during Nick News on Jan 18 at 8 p.m.
A second special in March, Kids Pick the Issues, will discuss issues and policies of interest to the Nick generation.
The specials will also run as part of Cable in the Classroom.
