Public schools in Stockton, California, have held mock presidential debates, in which various students impersonate the candidates. According to this news story, the only three presidential candidates with student “doubles” were Barack Obama, John McCain, and Gloria La Riva, the presidential candidate of the Party for Socialism and Liberation.
It doesn’t sound very realistic, especially since they supposedly simulated the electoral college by voting by home room class. They could make the “candidates” qualify by different standards in each home room. In “Colorado” it might be a fee of a penny. In other classes, a petition with 1% of the “voters”. In others, the candidates might have to run an obstacle course in a certain time with the major parties trying to knock them off. If they didn’t qualify, they could run 100 yards in 15 seconds to ask a “federal judge” to place them on the ballot.
At my high school, there were people representing McCain, Obama, Nader (only one person), and Barr (two people).