COBDEN - When the polls closed Wednesday morning in Cobden, the Obama-Biden presidential ticket earned a decisive victory - only this campaign had a twist.

Seniors from Cobden Unit School District 17 government classes took on the roles of U.S. Sens. Barack Obama, Joe Biden and John McCain, as well as Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, for a mock debate and election.

Hilary Sirles and Jonathan Albers, representing Obama and Biden, beat out Jenna Lehr and Kaylin Flamm, playing McCain and Palin, by a vote of 97 to 85. But even before the student body voted, Sirles shared her thoughts on the potential turnout.

"I don't know if Barack Obama will win this election today at school, but I have faith he will win on Nov. 4, which is the one that counts," she said.

The class exercise, orchestrated by government teacher Nathan Emrick, taught students firsthand how a presidential election works. Students studied candidates and their issues, campaigned around school and produced campaign commercials.

While only four students debated, countless others were involved in the event portraying moderators, secret service agents and election officials.

"I felt that sometimes government can be a little distressing for kids to learn about," Emrick said. "They need something interesting to kind of make it their own."

Though the students were hesitant at first, they soon warmed up to the project, he said. Participating students said they learned about the election process, as well as the candidates.

"I think it helped us come together more as a class," Lehr said. "We were all really into it. It was frustrating at times, but the end product came out well."

The project has secured Sirles' support of Obama, whom she portrayed in the debate, and she has been promoting him to friends.

For Lehr, who played McCain, the event helped her pick a candidate, but she said she's keeping her vote secret.

"When we started, not a lot of people knew much about the election, but I think pretty much all the seniors now have taken their respective sides, and they're pretty defensive about with Obama or McCain," Sirles said.

adam.testa@thesouthern.com

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