LAKEVILLE — In a mock election at Assawompsett Elementary School, students selected their top choice for president— and neither Donald Trump nor Kamala Harris were on the ballot. Students elected fictional book character Piggie from the series “Piggie and Elephant” as their leader, who ran against Pete the Cat, another character in a book children read in school. 

The goal behind these mock elections is to teach kids about what makes a good leader, the responsibility of the president and the voting process, said Maria Martin, a retired Assawompsett teacher who started the project in 1988.

Students from kindergarten to third grade came to polls, worked by second graders. The “polls” were located in the school’s cafeteria, said Martin. Students dropped their ballots in an old ballot box previously used by the town. Before election day, students completed a character study of each candidate to inform their decision about which one exhibited the strongest leadership qualities. 

Piggie won, receiving 213 votes to Pete the Cat’s 181 votes.