The most recent polls still show President Bush and Democratic challenger John Kerry in a close race in New Hampshire. Today both campaigns worked hard in their last ditch effort to get out the vote. New Hampshire Public Radio’s Amy Quinton reports.
At Parkside Middle School in Manchester, students sit in a library, eagerly waiting to cast their ballot in a mock vote for President.
It’s part of a nationwide program called Kids Voting.
Guidance Counselor Patty Cornell told the students what to expect on Election Day
"Today is practice and tomorrow you go to the polls and make sure you vote and make sure they vote."
But since these students live in a swing state, their participation garnered extra attention today from the Kerry-Edwards campaign.
The campaign sent celebrity actors Ben Mckensie from the television show "The OC" and David Gallagher from "Seventh Heaven."
It definitely grabbed the attention of the middle school girls.
Once the students calmed down, the Democratic Vice Presidential candidate’s daughter, Cate Edwards, gave them a civics lesson.
"All of these elections are so important, this particular election is very important and I know its important to me because my dad’s running, but it’s also important for everyone, so I of course encourage you to go to the polls with your parents and bring your parents to the polls and tell them to vote for my dad "
Edwards also spent the day in Laconia, Durham and Portsmouth, joined by former New Hampshire Governor Jeanne Shaheen.
Shaheen says the campaign is in the critical hours.
"It's very important especially in a state like NH where we have same day voter registration, so that even though somebody might not be registered, if they want to go vote tomorrow we can get them to the polls and they can vote, it’s very important."
On the other side of the river in Manchester, the Bush campaign was busy on the phone lines, urging New Hampshire residents to re-elect the President.
Volunteers here received a visit from Former New York Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik who set a much more somber tone about the importance of voting.
"That's what you have to do between tonight and tomorrow, get out your friends, get out your colleagues, somebody said to me is it a matter of life and death, I guess in my opinion it is, it’s for the defense of this country"
Kerik retold the story of what he witnessed in New York on September 11th.
He says the country also needs protection from terrorist attacks like the one earlier this summer at a school in Russia.
"This country can’t sustain an attack like that, we can’t let that happen, there’s only one way to make sure that doesn’t happen and that’s to make sure George Bush gets re-elected tomorrow on November 2nd."
Both President Bush and John Kerry have visited the state in the last few days leading up to the election.
And both campaigns will be urging voters to the polls up to the very last minute, proving that in a race this close, even New Hampshire’s four electoral votes can make a big difference.
For NHPR news, I’m Amy Quinton.
