Obama Wins Minnesota
Posted on 01. Nov, 2008 by Brad in Politics | Twitter: @bradhart |
In more mock election news we find Barack Obama winning another state. Tuesday will tell how right they are.
Students show interest in election | Worthington Daily Globe | Worthington, Minnesota
WORTHINGTON — Rock the Vote, which focuses on young voters, has registered more then 2.5 million voters this year, compared with the 1.4 million voters in 2004 in the 18 to 24-year-old age group. Some polls are considering the upcoming election a breakout year for young voters.
In an effort to find out what young voters are thinking about locally, the Daily Globe chatted with two Worthington High School classes. Of all the students who will be eligible to vote on Tuesday, only one of them was undecided about casting a ballot. The others said in no uncertain terms they will step up to vote on Election Day.
In one classroom of about 30 students, approximately one out of four students said they would vote for John McCain. There were a few undecided, but most of the other students said they would cast their vote for Barack Obama.
Justine Wettschreck Archive
Student supporters of Obama generally believe the United States is in need of change, which they said would not happen if McCain was elected. It would be just like having Bush in office, they said.The McCain supporters said they think he is the best man to see the country through the rest of the war, something they believe Obama would not handle as well.
But interest in the election itself is high, even among those not old enough to vote.
“They will affect our future and how the laws will be,” one student said. “We have to start educating ourselves on what is going on in the world.”
The issues that concern the students are as varied as the students themselves. They are interested in the state of the economy, the war, the federal deficit, wasteful spending and more.
Their thoughts on the war in Iraq are also varied, from the student that hopes the war will continue long enough for him to be part of it, to the young man who believes pulling out the troops is not the way to go because it will give terrorists the idea that America just gives up.
Many of the students believe that today’s teens are more interested in politics and the issues than their peers of years past.
“Our parents are telling us to prepare,” said Sarah Savy. “They are making us more aware.”
When it comes to the economy, the students know it will affect their college years — not just tuition, but gas, groceries and other living expenses.
They also know they are getting a front-row seat to what will be a historic election, with either the first African-American president or the first female vice-president being elected. Even German foreign exchange student Antonia Vestweber said the interest in the election had been huge in her own country.
“Everyone is watching the United States,” she said.
Most of the students agree that negative campaigns are more likely to make them turn away from a candidate.
“They need to promote themselves more,” stated Anthony Kellen. “Right now it seems to be all about who can dig up the most dirt.”
Many of the students think McCain chose a running mate that would draw in women voters, and they agree that his choice may have backfired on him. Female students agreed they found it somewhat offensive that candidates believe they would vote for a woman because they are women, instead of studying the issues and the candidates before marking a ballot. In the same vein, they think supporting or not supporting a candidate because of race or gender is ridiculous.
“It is 2008 and people need to stop being so ignorant,” Melissa Hernandez stated. “They need to educate themselves.”
“But there are always going to be ignorant people,” Kellen replied.
“People are prone to being discriminatory,” another student added.
Several of the students disagreed with the amount of time and press spent on the candidates’ personal lives, especially when it came to Sarah Palin’s pregnant daughter.
“The actions of her kids aren’t going to affect her decision making for the country,” Hernandez said. “It should be about her, not her family. They rest of it shouldn’t be allowed in.”
In the first class, when asked if they plan to vote when they are eligible, every student raised their hand. But in the second class, there were several that did not. They stated they didn’t have much interest in politics now, but might by the time the next presidential election comes along.
Connor Tripp believes that most Americans want what is best for themselves and their country.
“And we have the power to decide,” he added. “That is pretty cool.”
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