Children cast mock ballots

Children accompanying their parents to a polling station in Portugal's presidential election Sunday got to try their hand at casting a vote, though the candidates weren't on the ballot. Fictional characters popular with children, such as Super Mario and Roblox, were on their ballot paper, not the two politicians in the official runoff. Parents said they hoped the exercise would teach them about democracy. A polling station in the capital, Lisbon, offered children their say on who's the best character, in what was believed to be the first time something like this was tried in a Portuguese election and is not a common practice elsewhere. "Vote for your favourite character," the ballot paper for the children said. Catarina Barbosa, mother of 8-year-old Artur, said she thought it was an educational experience for her son.