At a polling booth in Manchester, Nicky Lito exercised his voting right by choosing the former Mike Huckabee. It is usual to come out and vote on the day of primaries, but it is certainly unusual when the voter is an 8-year-old.

“I voted for Mike Huckabee,” Lito said. “The person I voted for, he added, “is awesome”.

Children below 17 years were unofficial participants in the presidential primaries in New Hampshire. They were escorted by their parents, who had come to cast ballots that would count. The children’s ballot-casting was part of an educational programme here to encourage them to take part in politics.

Charlotte Lito, the mother of Nicky Lito, said that her son was “excited” to come and see democracy in action. “He wanted to know why we are voting today,” she said.

The voting age is 18 years in the US But an organisation called Kids Voting USA aims to involve students — below the voting age — in democracy. They try to educate students outside classrooms through this authentic voting experience .

Joan Flurey, chairperson for Kids Voting USA, said that children tend to side with their parents’ choice, or choose the candidate they often see on television. Either way, she said, it is an “opportunity for the children to voice their opinion”. Flurey added: “It kind of gives them the satisfaction to say, ‘Look, we voted the way adults voted’.”

Kaetag Albert, who had come to the polling booth with her grandmother, found the whole experience “fun”. She said that her vote for Republican Ron Paul was an easy choice to make.