s hundreds of students chanted ''Gore, Gore, Gore'' and ''Bush, Bush, Bush,'' about 50 fourth- and fifth- graders at the Josiah Quincy School in Boston cast their ballots in a mock presidential election yesterday.
The winner: Vice President Al Gore, with 90 percent of the votes.
Now, organizers of Kids Voting USA hope parents will cast their ballots in November with just as much enthusiasm.
The national program, geared toward teaching students the importance of voting, kicked off in Boston yesterday and will be used by teachers in lessons leading up to the presidential election.
''It builds a feeling of civic responsibility at a very young age that we hope will carry over,'' said William Ketter, chairman of Kids Voting Boston and dean of Boston University's School of Journalism.
He and others hope yesterday's event will be the first step in encouraging students to share their excitement about voting with their parents.
''We want to get kids involved in their own voting alongside their parents,'' said Phil Matthews, director of Kids Voting Boston.
Kids Voting USA began in 1991 with the idea of educating youngsters about the importance of voting as soon as they are old enough to register.
The program, which was launched in Phoenix, has seen a voter increase of as much as 5 percent in many cities, Matthews said.
Boston is the largest city in Massachusetts so far to incorporate the program in its schools, he said. The program has already been used in schools in Springfield, Quincy, Randolph, Stoughton, and Plymouth.
In the six weeks until the presidential election, Boston students in kindergarten through 12th grade will participate in up to 12 hours of activities related to the issues and the candidates, Gore and Governor George W. Bush of Texas.
''We want them to feel that this is as strong a responsibility as any other responsibility,'' Ketter said. ''The right to vote should become every bit as important as getting your license.''
At yesterday's event, Mayor Thomas M. Menino told the students that every vote counts and noted that one vote in each precinct in the country made a difference in electing John F. Kennedy president.
While the ballots cast by Boston students will not be counted in the actual election, the results will be printed in the Globe on Nov. 8.
Susan Bannon, co-chairwoman of Boston's Citywide Parents Council, said yesterday the program ''is a fantastic idea. I always take my children with me when I go to the polls.''
