Students in the second grade at Tamaqua Elementary School won’t be able to officially cast their vote for president until the 2026 election.

But on Tuesday they got a chance to see what it’s like to participate in the presidential race, casting their own ballots at an event set up by their teachers.Tuesday afternoon, the students waited to go one-by-one into a voting booth and vote in the second grade’s own contest, organized by teacher Johanna Morrison. It gave them a chance to participate in the election they’ve heard so much about.“They’re pretty into it,” second grade teacher Christa Mantz said.The teachers got in the spirit too, wearing custom made T-shirts. The voting booth, actually the vestibule of the school’s music room, had a curtain that made it look like a real voting booth.For most of the students, it was the first time in a voting booth of any kind. Some were excited, and others nervous, about the experience.Maddie Schaefer was one of a few kids that had a chance to go into the voting booth with their parents earlier in the morning.“My favorite part was when my mom let me press on the screen,” she said.Students also had a chance to list what they would do if they were president. Some students had suggestions like getting rid of vegetables, or even school. Lauren Boyer said she would like to not have drugs in the world.“I want to make the world a better place,” she said.Inside the actual voting booth, students were given the choice between all four presidential tickets, including the Libertarian and Green parties, and also had a choice to write in a vote if they wanted. Prior to the vote, the teachers gathered all the students and gave a brief explanation on each candidate -- focusing more on fun facts than hard issues.They for instance told the ‘voters’ that Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton enjoys the movie The Wizard of Oz, and that Trump worked with Milton Bradley to come out with a board game called ‘Trump, the game.’Teacher Kailee Kelly said that the exercise was more about getting them interested in voting, and perhaps reminding their parents to do it.“Mainly they have been hearing what their parents are saying, which is why we wanted to introduce the candidates to them,” Kelly said.At the end of the day, they announced the results of the class election to the students. Students were reminded to accept the results of the election, regardless of who they voted for.“It’s too bad we can’t spread that around more, let’s all be respectful of the outcome,” Mantz said.