Nickelodeon is entering the 2024 election season with an oldie but a goodie. The children’s network is bringing back its “Kids Pick the President” special, which will premiere on Oct. 28.
During this special, the results of the “Kids’ Vote” poll will be announced. Starting Thursday, kids can cast their vote for who they want to be the next president at kidspickthepresident.com. The half-hour special will be hosted by former NFL wide receiver and current host for “CBS Mornings,” “NFL Slimetime” and “The NFL Today” Nate Burleson. He will be joined by his 14-year-old daughter Mia Burleson, who also hosts “NFL Slimetime.”
The special will premiere on Oct. 28 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Nickelodeon and will be available on Paramount+, Nickelodeon YouTube, Nick.com and the Nickelodeon Pluto TV channels, which include Nick Pluto, 90’s Kids TV and Totally Teen. It will also be available the following day on Nick On Demand.
Though the “Kids’ Vote” is an informal non-scientific poll that’s only meant for entertainment purposes, there’s some history behind this particular cable tradition. “Kids Pick the President” has correctly predicted the winner of the U.S. election every year since 1988, save for 2004 and 2016.
“The opportunity to host the ‘Kids Pick the President’ special, alongside my daughter Mia, has opened up our whole family to conversations about the importance of standing up for what we believe in and the power of democracy,” Burleson said in a statement to press. “As parents of three, it has always been a priority for me and my wife Atoya to teach our kids that their voices matter — that they not only need to get involved, but stay involved with the issues and topics they care about.”
“We believe kids of all ages deserve to be seen and heard, and we’re proud of the role that our ‘Kids Pick the President’ initiative has played in elevating their voices around important issues in their lives for the last nine election cycles,” Jean Margaret Smith, senior vice president of Nickelodeon Public Affairs, said in a statement. “Through the personal stories of the families featured in the ‘Kids Pick the President’ special, we hope to empower kids to champion the causes they care about, and inspire them to impact change in their communities and beyond.”
“Kids Pick the President” is produced by Nickelodeon Productions. It’s overseen by Ashley Kaplan, executive vice president for Nickelodeon unscripted and digital franchise studio and well as Paul J Medford, vice president of unscripted current series; Luke Wahl, vice president of unscripted creative; and Jana Blumenthal, vice president or production. Wahl and Ben Plumier also serve as executive producers.
The special is part of Nickelodeon’s 45-year history of addressing important social issues through its initiatives and programming. These include “The Big Help” and “Together for Good,” which encourage children to be agents of change; “Let’s Just Play” and “Worldwide Day of Play,” which encourages them to get active; and “The Big Green Help,” which encourages kids to care more about the environment. The network also has the “HALO Awards,” which celebrates kids and teens who are going above and beyond to help others, as well as “Beyond the Backpack” program for preschoolers.
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