Students prep for voting polls

They may not be 18 years old, but that isn’t stopping students at Newport Harbor High School from casting their vote for presidential candidates this primary season.

Students there are participating in a statewide mock primary election for high schoolers too young to vote Feb. 5.

Newport Harbor students in every grade voted Thursday and Friday in their English classes with statewide votes tallied Thursday.

“It promotes good habits for the future and gets them into their civic responsibility,” said 17-year-old senior Rebecca Brown. “This is our future, the rest of our lives.”

Brown is co-president of the Young Democrats Club with fellow senior and not-yet-of-age voter Olivia Dahan. Brown’s politics encourage her activism, she said.

“It’s kind of a rare thing to be a Democrat in our school living behind the Orange Curtain,” she said.

No matter what their politics are, the girls’ aim is to get all students — left- or right-leaning — to make their voices heard. They plan on working with the school’s Republican club next month on a different event.

More than 230,000 students from almost 430 schools registered with the state to participate in the mock election. Schools submit their votes Monday and Tuesday.

State officials will announce whom students chose as their Republican and Democratic presidential nominees Thursday. The votes have no actual effect on the state’s primaries on Feb. 5.

It’s refreshing to see young people interested in politics, said English teacher Cindy Borisoff.

“I think it’s great, and the problem is there isn’t enough,” she said.

Because there is no incumbent and Vice President Dick Cheney is not running, candidates find themselves in a wide-open field this year.

“More things like this can create the consciousness of why people need to be more politically aware,” Borisoff said.

“It’s cool to remind people it’s a privilege to vote, you feel more mature,” said 18-year-old senior Kelsey Niebuhr. “Why just talk about [politics] when you can take action? Actions speak louder than words.”

“It’s good to be part of something greater than just you,” she said.

JOSEPH SERNA may be reached at (714) 966-4619 or at joseph.serna@latimes.com.