Mock Polls at OU

Photo by Rodney Latham

As the Presidential elections cut close, the tension builds … and Ottawa University is not exempt from that. Here are the latest results on The Campus’ poll for this 2016 political battle. 

Thanks to Dr. Kevin Tyner’s lessons, our staff was able to collect a random sample of 192 Braves out of the total student population. The students had to choose only one future president out of four candidates: Hillary Clinton, Ted Cruz, Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump.

Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders took the lead with a total of 101 votes or 52.6% of the student sample taken. Sanders’ supporters seemed to be the most sure out of all students. They did not think one second about which box to mark down. First-year students Julia Gormley and Jessica Neal had a very strong opinion when it came to choosing.

“I am voting for Bernie Sanders because I strongly agree with his ideas of taking the power away from Wall Street. I also agree with his ideas of how we have to make the police part of the community again instead of them being viewed as bad or 'crooked,’” Gormley said.

“I guess most importantly, though, he has policies that if they get put into place could majorly help my little brothers in the future as well as myself. I really would like them to grow up in a world where education is valued and easier to obtain, and that's what Sanders is all about. I hope more of my generation looks into what he has to say and does their part by voting,” she concluded.

Neal concurred with Gormley’s opinion.

“I am going for Bernie as well! He is looking to fix the political world and to help get America back on its feet. He looks out for the people who need it, and he will help to provide a good future for generations to come” Neal said.

Republican candidate Ted Cruz was after Sanders with a total of 46 votes or 23.9% of the student sample taken. Students who voted for Cruz in the poll were not exactly excited about interviews, but they surely expressed that out of the Republican Party, he was the one to go for.

Other Republican candidate Donald Trump followed Cruz with a total of 18 votes or 9.3% of our sample. Our staff members found it surprising that some students who voted for Trump were extremely ashamed and fearful that their peers would find out their preferences. However, Junior Kent Beuttel gave a brief but helpful opinion about his choice.

“I am voting for Donald Trump most likely because I do not agree with any other presidential candidate. Cruz is full of BS. Bernie, I think his ideas are cool, but they are not reality. And Hillary, I would say she lies too much. So I kind of end up going down to the last one, who is Trump. Honestly, I don’t even think he would do a good job, but there’s not much to pick from,” Beuttel said.

On the other hand, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton ended with 13 votes or 6.7% of the sample. Many students acknowledged that they would vote for her because “it is time for America to have a female president.”

Although there were only four options, some student wrote outside the boxes. The “unsure” group obtained 14 votes or 7.2%. Students who did not know enough, were not sure or thought that all candidates are underqualified for the job chose not to vote.   

After recounting the votes, and doing the right math, The Campus is now sure that Ottawa University could be #FeelingTheBern.