Wiscasset Middle High School mock voters nearly split on some of the questions and candidates voters face for real on Tuesday. In results the school provided, participants favored Republican Donald Trump over Democrat Hillary Clinton for president 75-64, Mark Holbrook over Chellie Pingree for Congresss 87-86 and recreational marijuana sales 92-91.

Also close in the school’s Nov. 1 mock election, open to students in grades seven through 12 as well as staff, were a tax plan to support schools, garnering 90 yes votes and 93 no’s, and ranked choice voting, with 85 yes votes and 94 no’s.

A few mock decisions ran wide. The one local question, to let Wiscasset firefighters keeping washing their personal vehicles at the fire station, ran 126 for yes and 47 for no. Expanding background checks on gun transfers lost 69-120.

While the school favored the GOP nominee for the White House, results ran Democratic for the legislature. Students chose incumbent Chris Johnson over Dana Dow, 92-80, and Wendy Ross over incumbent Jeff Hanley 93-74. 

A minimum wage hike failed among mock voters 81-103; so did the transportation bond, 79-99.

The presidential votes went largely to Trump and Clinton, but 14 mock voters chose Gary Johnson, Jill Stein, 7.

“The kids did an awesome job with the mock election and as always I am super proud of them,” technology coordinator and student council adviser Deb Pooler said Friday. Pooler said past mock elections at the school were accurate to the results on election day.

Teacher Ben Clark’s elections class counted ballots, Pooler said.

All but the sophomore class surpassed school staff on turnout, according to Pooler. Fifty percent of staff cast ballots in the mock vote, 57 percent of seventh graders, 59 percent of the eighth grade class, 69 percent of freshmen, 41 percent of sophomores 64 percent of juniors and 56 percent of the senior class.