Longer term limits and three school board members were the big winners in both the Nov. 3 Kids Voting and the Mesa County elections.

Voter turnout for Kids Voting was 45.9 percent, while Mesa County turnout of registered voters was 34.6 percent.

When voting on extending term limits for district attorney, sheriff and county coroner, student and registered voters each agreed the limits should be lengthened from two to three terms.

District Attorney Pete Hautzinger said he is not sure if he will run for a third term but is glad he will be given the chance.

“I love my job, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to be able to run again,” Hautzinger said.

Sheriff Stan Hilkey plans to run for another term and said that, if chosen, he will have the opportunity to see through projects that the Sheriff’s Department is undertaking.

“People want stability,” Hilkey said, “and stability is one of the benefits of an extra term.”

Leslie Kiesler and Harry Butler ran unopposed for school board Districts D and C, respectively.

Greg Mikolai, the winning candidate for District E, first plans to focus on the budget.

“I hope that more experienced school board members will help bring me up to speed,” Mikolai said.

He knows, however, that this will not happen overnight.

“I’m going to have to be patient and work with everyone to find the best solution for the decreased budget.”

Mikolai said he enjoyed running against Rose Pugleise, and said she was a great candidate and a nice person.

“If I don’t run in four years, I’ll be voting for Rose,” Mikolai said.

Pugleise lost with Mesa County registered voters but won in the Kids Voting election.

“I feel pleased that I connected with kids,” Pugleise said.

Pugleise, originally from New York, has been in Grand Valley for 2 1/2 years, but said that, after running, she has a good grasp on how the Mesa County school system works.

Pugleise said that District 51 is doing a great job, and she and her husband chose Grand Junction largely because of its schools.

Despite her loss, Pugleise still plans on staying involved with schools. “You haven’t seen the last of me,” she said.

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Luke Schaack is an eighth-grader at Redlands Middle School who is reporting on election issues for The Daily Sentinel in conjunction with Kids Voting of Mesa County.

Kids Voting students also were asked 7 survey questions.
The questions and the results were:

Do you think class size affects learning?
• Definitely: 2,114 votes — 33 percent.
• Somewhat: 2,712 votes — 42.4 percent.
• Not at all: 1,573 votes — 24.6 percent.

Why do you think students choose to be involved with vandalism in schools or acting out in class?
• Angry with lives and family: 708 — 19.8 percent.
• Bored: 548 — 15.3 percent.
• Don’t feel like they belong: 202 — 5.6 percent.
• Don’t like school: 531 — 14.8 percent.
• Low skills: 60 — 1.7 percent.
• Peer pressure: 371 — 10.4 percent.
• Seeking attention: 890 — 24.9 percent.
• Other: 268 — 7.5 percent.

Communities become stronger because people choose to be involved. Do you think high school students should be required to perform some kind of community service in order to graduate?
• Yes: 1,462 — 41.7 percent.
• No: 2,047 — 58.3 percent.

Should Colorado drivers be allowed to use cell phones while driving?
• Yes: 2,162 — 35.7 percent.
• No: 3,900 — 64.3 percent.

Health care is a major national issue. Do you believe the government should work to make affordable health care available to everyone?
• Yes: 2,766 — 80.9 percent.
• No: 654 — 19.1 percent.

How many years have you been involved with Kids Voting?
• Only this school year: 1,004 — 16.7 percent.
• A few school years: 3,479 — 57.8 percent.
• Five or more school years: 1,540 — 25.5 percent.

When you turn 18, do you think you will officially register to vote and actually vote in the adult election?
• Yes: 3,918 — 62 percent.
• No: 419 — 6.6 percent.
• I don’t know: 1,984 — 31.4 percent.