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Joe Biden Wins Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Vote Despite Bot Cheating Attempts

Ellise Shafer
·2 min read

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has emerged victorious from Nickelodeon’s 2020 “Kids Pick the President” Kids Vote — but even the mock election was not free of outside interference.

According to a statement from Nickelodeon, cheating was first detected on Oct. 21 after online forums were found to be discussing how to fraudulently vote on the “Kids Pick the President” website. After employing a voter certification tool, Nickelodeon identified that more than 130,000 bot-generated votes had been cast and subsequently removed them.

Biden received 53% of the Kids Vote, and current President Donald Trump had 47%. Over 90,000 individuals cast a ballot from Oct. 20 to Oct. 26, with one vote allowed per household device.

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“Though kids are not of an age to vote, Kids Pick the President is a platform where their voices do count, and they deserve to be heard. And just as kids value honesty and fairness, so do we at Nickelodeon,” the network said in a statement. “Therefore, out of respect for kids everywhere and in the spirit of civic responsibility, we present the name of the winner based on votes cast fairly and within our stated guidelines of one vote counted per household device.”

The results were revealed during tonight’s “Nick News: Kids Pick the President” special hosted by Keke Palmer. The special went over the basics of voting and gave kids a chance to voice the issues they care most about in the upcoming election, such as the COVID-19 response, racial inequality and the environment. It also included a performance from Young Dylan and appearances by Asher Angel, Tyra Banks, Joshua Bassett, Brie and Nikki Bella, Nicole Byer, Miranda Cosgrove, Stephen Curry, Skai Jackson, DJ Khaled, Liza Koshy, Peyton List, Jace Norman, Kel Mitchell, Usher and Maddie Ziegler.

Nickelodeon’s Kids Vote initiative has been held during every presidential election since 1988 and is designed to raise kids’ awareness of the electoral process. According to Nickelodeon, kids have correctly chosen the next U.S. president in six out of the past eight elections.

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