Georgetown, Del., Dec. 11, 2012: Partisan pundits, statisticians and journalists are not the only ones who can see the future when it comes to America’s elections. There are a few prescient pupils in Sussex County who might well have futures as political prognosticators.

Sussex County Council, at its Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2012, meeting, announced the 2012 winners of the Election Year Scholarship Contest, recognizing six children – one grand prize recipient and five runners-up – with plaques and scholarship prizes for their winning efforts. The group includes a sibling duo that won first and second places with perfect and near-perfect entries.

“It is always exciting to see so many young Americans becoming involved in the democratic process,” said Councilman Vance Phillips, who proposed the election contest beginning in 2000. “Who knows? We may have the next Nate Silver right here in Sussex County.”

Students ages 18 and younger who are residents of the county and enrolled in public or private schools were invited to participate in the contest, which serves as a fun lesson about the American election process. To take part, students had to fill out a form on the County’s website, and then predict the winners of 23 national, state and local races in the Nov. 6 general election.

To break a tie, each entrant was asked to predict the total number of votes the winner of the gubernatorial race would receive from Sussex County. Gov. Jack Markell, who won the election, collected 51,439 votes from Sussex County.

Students competed for one $200 scholarship prize, and five $100 runner-up prizes. One winner and five runners-up were declared, based on their predictions and the tie-breaking question, from a field of nearly 320 participants. Those students were recognized at the County Council meeting Tuesday morning. The winner and five runners-up are:

• Winner Paige Shockley, 12, a sixth-grader at the Sussex Academy of Arts & Sciences in Georgetown. Paige correctly picked all 23 races, the only entrant to have a perfect score;
• First runner-up Bo Shockley, 18, a senior at Sussex Central High School and the brother of the grand-prize winner. Bo correctly predicted 22 of 23 races, with a tie-breaking prediction of 55,500 votes from Sussex County for the gubernatorial race winner;
• Second runner-up Alexandra Coverdale, 17, a senior Cape Henlopen High School. Alexandra correctly predicted 22 of 23 races, with a tie-breaking prediction of 37,573 votes;
• Third runner-up Preston Hitchens, 11, a sixth-grader at Laurel Middle School. Preston correctly predicted 21 of 23 races, with a tie-breaking prediction of 50,000 votes;
• Fourth runner-up Emily Lingo, 12, a seventh-grader at Beacon Middle School. Emily also correctly predicted 21 of 23 races, with a tie-breaking prediction of 57,000 votes;
• Fifth runner-up Ryan Swingle, 15, a sophomore at Sussex Technical High School. Ryan also correctly predicted 21 of 23 races, with a tie-breaking prediction of 72,000 votes to capture the last prize.

County Administrator Todd F. Lawson said the students and their families should be proud of their accomplishments.

“What these students have done is impressive, and very hard for even the so-called experts to do,” Mr. Lawson said. “As someone who has long had an interest in the law and public service, it’s wonderful to see how a contest like this can introduce children to civics and the political process. Hopefully it has sparked an interest that will carry on throughout their lifetime.”

While the top student won a $200 scholarship prize, the five runners-up were not left empty handed. Each won a $100 scholarship. All of the scholarships are to be paid upon a student’s enrollment in college or another post-high school educational program. Funding comes through councilmanic grants, as well as from the Moore & Rutt law firm.

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