Fifteen-year-old Ronnie Oda debated the issues of the Akaka-Thielen U.S. Senate race with her parents and decided to make a difference, even though the vote she cast yesterday didn't officially count.

"I wanted to go through the process and express my feeling that we need a change," said Ronnie, a Kapolei High School ninth-grader who was among the 97,511 of 134,075 registered Kids Voting Hawaii voters who participated in the statewide 2006 mock elections.

This year's voter and registration totals were the highest in the five elections run by Kids Voting Hawaii, said Kay Yogi, a Kids Voting Hawaii board member. The process has included online voting since 2000, Yogi noted.

For the most part, students voted a lot like their parents. Gov. Linda Lingle, Sen. Daniel Akaka and U.S. House candidate Mazie Hirono prevailed. Students also had a chance to express themselves on nine Kids Voting-only questions, such as "Should every elementary school have recess?" (95 percent voted yes) and "Should all schools require uniforms?" (72 percent voted no).

"Our main focus is to get students in the mindset of voting so they'll continue to do it once they reach voting age," said David Otte, 17, Mililani High School's student body president who voted in his second Kids Voting Hawaii election.

Schools embracing the Kids Voting U.S. curriculum have contributed to the program's growing success by piqueing student interest, said Kids Voting Hawaii board chairwoman Linda Coble.

Ronnie Oda acknowledged that she's receiving extra credit in social studies for voting but said she would have voted anyway because of the interest raised at school.

"We studied the issues in class and I had a good feeling about what was going on," said Ronnie, daughter of Gary and Kim Oda. "I don't think I voted the same way my parents did."

Kids Voting Hawaii participants were in kindergarten through high school.

Micah Wong, 9, a fourth-grader at Moanalua Elementary, and his home-schooled siblings, Malia, 7, and Aidan, 6, voted at Kapolei High School with their parents, Michael and Jeanine Wong.

"I knew what to do and it was really fun," Micah said of his second Kids Voting Hawaii experience. "I did it because I want the same freedom as my mom and dad."

When asked what he thinks about grown-ups who don't vote, Micah said there shouldn't be any excuse because "it takes only a couple of minutes and it matters a lot."

Dasia Hokoana, 10, of Nanakuli, a fifth-grader at Ka Waihona O Ka Na'auao charter school, accompanied her parents, Rayvanne and Darwynne Hokoana, to the polls yesterday.

"I wanted to vote, especially for governor," Dasia said. "I would tell people who didn't vote that they should have because it's important and it's their right. I'm proud I voted."

Iroquois Point Elementary School fourth-grader Kalena Exner, 9, of 'Ewa Beach, voted for the first time and doesn't expect to ever miss an opportunity to do it.

"I wanted to do it and I think everybody should vote all the time," Kalena said. "It just takes a couple of minutes."

Reach Rod Ohira at rohira@honoluluadvertiser.com.