Obama Wins Iowa :: Local News and Newspapers

: Obama Wins Iowa

November 1, 2008 by Brad
Filed under: Election 2008

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Again we see mock elections favoring Barack Obama. What will Tuesday tell us about these predictions well you can find out right here on the other on Wednesday morning assuming the baby holds off not being born until I am done blogging. I am planning a 50 state Election Wrap-Up for Wednesday November 5th. Assuming you don’t see that wrap-up Wednesday morning you may need to wait a bit until I can get Emmit brown to build me a flux Capacitor and go Back to The Future.

Mid-Iowa Newspapers - Ames students get practice exercising voting rights in mock election

Ames students get practice exercising voting rights in mock election
By: Teresa Kay Albertson, Special to The Tribune
10/31/2008
Updated 10/31/2008 11:09:01 AM CDT
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By Nirmalendu Majumdar/The Tribune
Ames High School students cast ballots during a mock election Tuesday in the school’s library.

And the winner is …

Barack Obama.

At least at Ames High School where students participated in a mock election this week.

Obama, the Democratic presidential nominee, received 64 percent of the votes while Republican nominee John McCain received 24 percent. Ralph Nader received 3.5 percent, and all other presidential candidates received a combined 8.5 percent.

In the Iowa race for a seat in the U.S. Senate, Democratic incumbent Tom Harkin received 64 percent support, and Republican Christopher Reed received 28 percent. Write-in candidates received 8 percent.

In Iowa’s Congressional 4th District race, Democratic challenger Becky Greenwald edged GOP incumbent Tom Latham with 46.5 percent of the votes compared to Latham’s 46 percent. Write-in candidates received 7.5 percent.

The issue most important to Ames High students was the economy, which received 39 percent. Energy and the environment was second at 21 percent, while education received 15 percent, homeland security/war 9 percent, health care 6 percent and other 10 percent.

The election was Web-based and conducted through the University of Virginia. More than 65 percent of the student population turned out for the election.

“I picked this program because of its structure,” said Denny Cullinan, Ames High chair of the social studies department. “The results gave us national, statewide and high school specific results.”

Cullinan said many different voting programs were available, including one from the Iowa Secretary of State.

Of the results, Cullinan said he it turned out about like he expected, except for the Congressional race.

“Greenwald won, which we didn’t expect,” he said. “It was close, but she still won.”

The voting was set up in the school’s library and was open to all students on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of this week. To vote, students registered by having their names checked off a list, then they stepped to the computers to make their selections. Afterward they received an “I Voted” sticker.

“We try to make it as close as we can to the real thing,” Cullinan said.

He believes that once someone has voted, their likelihood of voting again is increased based on “the foot in the door phenomenon.”

Cullinan teaches psychology along with various government classes.

In the national mock election among high school students, Obama won 60 percent of the votes while McCain won 36.

Nationally, the economy received the most votes as the issue most important to voters with 39 percent. Energy and the environment was second with 17 percent, and homeland security/war and health care tied for third with 13 percent.