When the November elections come to the Boothbay Region, the residents of Southport won't just be picking the president.

They won't just be voting on whether or not to allow the water district to be absorbed into the Boothbay Region Water District, either.

The town of Southport will be voting on its identity, or more specifically a new mascot for Southport Central School.

School principal and teacher Marcelle Durost said the idea behind the new mascot was to teach the students about the selection process.

“We don't have a mascot and we decided that this was the perfect opportunity for our kids to learn about voting and democracy,” she said.

But the voting won't be limited to the 30-student school; the community will have the opportunity to pick Southport's mascot.

“The community is invested in the school so we wanted to give them a chance to pick the mascot,” she said.“This is a good way for the children to learn that not every candidate can be picked, and they will learn that every vote counts.

“It will be a good way for them to learn how choices are narrowed down and learn about the process.”

The students at Southport will compile a list of potential mascots, which will be whittled down to “3 or 5,” Durost said. Ballots will be available at the school, the Southport General Store and the Southport Memorial Library by Friday, Nov. 2.

There are no age-restrictions for voting, but it is limited to Southport residents.

Ben Bulkeley can be reached at 633-4620 or bbulkeley@boothbayregister.com. Follow him on Twitter: @BBRegisterBen.