Democrat Hillary Clinton was elected president Tuesday -- at Normal Community High School, that is.
The student body voted in a mock election sponsored by the McLean County League of Women Voters. The League is attempting to encourage 18-year-old first time voters to register before the election.
The students chose Clinton over Republican challenger Donald Trump by 44 percent to 39 percent. Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson received about 10 percent of the vote.
Young adults are considered a key voting group and all of the presidential candidates have been struggling to win them over, as President Barack Obama did in his two campaigns.
About 450 of the approximately 2,000 Normal Community students voted, many of them still too young to cast ballots in the November 8th election.
"I was so upset because I really, really wanted to vote this year. I feel like I can make a really big difference with my vote by choosing who leads my country and how different issues in the country are handled," said Savannah Townsend, who won't turn 18 until this December.
Social Studies teacher LaTishia Baker, who worked with the League on the mock election, said the students have had several "active conversations" in the classroom about the election.
"I'm trying to get them to be informed citizens as they make their choices. So much of the information they receive may be from their friends or family members and so they just blindly choose candidate X, candidate Y," she said.
Baker said many students are excited about the presidential contest, but some say, "Why should we vote, why should it matter? We don't think either candidate should win, and it doesn't have anything to do with me. And I have to reiterate it has everything to do with you," she said.
Of the 400 students in the senior class, Baker estimated that about a quarter are eligible to vote. Normal Community offers classes on government and international relations and will begin a mandatory civics class next year, Baker said.
Students expressed a wide range of opinions about the candidates.
"At the moment I'm leaning toward Gary Johnson, but there have been some areas where he has not been so impressive on issues of foreign policy," said senior Ryan Watkins. Watkins said he works at a food pantry, is active in his church and is president of the Young Conservatives and Libertarians club at the school.
"I believe in supporting the middle class. We should expand on that and support people in the middle and lower class," said Lily Wang, a junior.
Wang is rooting for Clinton. "The rest of our presidents have all been male and I think it shows a turn in U.S. values on who we want to see as a leader," she said.
Tristan Bishop was in fourth grade in 2008, but says she is was "very excited" even then about the possibility of a woman becoming president.
She again hopes Clinton will win. "She is more qualified for the position having been in other political jobs, whereas Trump has just been a businessman." Bishop said.
"Trump doesn't care about other people ...His views are really more on the corporate side," 16-year-old Rana Abbed added.
But said Nikko Stivers, "I love Trump. With Hillary, I really don't like any of her points. I like Trump's points and I like him as a businessman for the U.S. I feel we need a businessman to help us with our country."
"I wish I was 18 because I want to vote. I care about who runs our country," said Kaci Shickel, a freshman.
Shickel said she is most concerned about stopping ISIS.
"Both of the people I wouldn't exactly choose to be our candidates, but I feel that Hillary is putting all of her plans for ISIS out there for the whole world to know and Trump is taking a better approach at it," she added.
Maison Marlett was one of the 18-year-olds that League representatives registered to vote at the school Tuesday.
"It's good to be part of the election and put in a vote that actually matters. I think it's cool that I have the freedom to vote for who I want," an undecided Marlett said.
The Normal Community students also threw their support to incumbent Illinois Sen. Mark Kirk, who won their votes by 49.8 percent over 36 percent for Democratic challenger Tammy Duckworth.
The League of Women Voters will hold a similar mock election Tuesday October 11 at Bloomington High School.