Both the special and the "Kids' Vote" are the culmination of Nickelodeon's year-long Kids Pick the President initiative to build young citizens' awareness of the 2008 election process, its candidates and issues.

Ellerbee says, "Democracy works only if you participate in it, and this year we've all seen that kids are more interested than ever in participating. We like to encourage this. The candidates, by answering kids' questions directly, are showing respect for kids, as have the presidential candidates in previous elections. And, considering that in four of the last five presidential elections, kids have picked the same president the grownups have -- but a couple of weeks before the general election -- the media shows respect for how kids vote, too."

Nick News has been travelling around the US asking kids what they would want to ask the candidates if they had a chance, then videotaping the questions. In interviews conducted exclusively for Nick News, McCain and Obama were interviewed separately -- McCain in Columbus, Ohio, and Obama in
Daytona, Florida -- without the opportunity to hear each other's responses. Each candidate answers 10 questions from kids (ages 10-15).

The resulting interviews offer kids a fresh and direct way to learn about what McCain and Obama think about some of the pressing issues facing the country today.

Kids can log on to http://www.nick.com/kpp from 12-20 October 2008 to cast their votes online for Nickelodeon's "Kids' Vote", as well as to get more information about each candidate and his position on the issues.

Nickelodeon's Kids Pick the President campaign includes four television specials, a special online election website http://www.nick.com/kpp/ , and a series of educational and humorous spots surrounding the Republican and Democratic conventions -- featuring the Kids Pick the President Election Connection Team of Pick Boy, Lil' JJ and Lily
Collins -- which air on Nick and appear online.