Many are bound to have seen the persistent biased political ads invading television screens the past couple of months in preparation for the election. Last week, government classes around campus had the opportunity to be involved in the election by participating in the national online Youth Leadership Initiative (YLI) mock election.
“Students, hopefully, will be informed about the candidates and the issues before actually voting, so obviously, that’s important [to be politically aware],” Government teacher Angela Gardner mentioned. Classes were taken into the computer lab and presented with information in order to access a ballot specifically created for their teacher, school, and state. Students cast votes for president, senator, and house representatives.
“Real life experiences are always helpful,” Gardner said of the benefits of imitation elections. They are beneficial to students who are able to vote, as well as for those on the cusp of voting age. It provides a reputable resource for “practice” voting, including an accurate prediction of real election results. According to FiveThirtyEight, a blog by Nate Silver on the New York Times website, the presidential forecast reads that Obama holds 315.2 electoral votes versus Romney counting in with 222.8 electoral votes.
“I believe Perry’s [mock election] results will be more conservative than the actual results.The East Valley, for the most part, is ultra conservative and kids tend to have the same beliefs as their parents, [however], students today seem to be more open-minded, so we may see some deviation from the pattern,” Gardner claimed.
The YLI mock election results and the FiveThirtyEight results were analogous with both showing a democratic win for President Barack Obama. The nationwide mimic election concluded with Obama securing 61.05% of the votes while Governor Mitt Romney earned 35.38%.
The election forecasts and simulated elections were not far off from the actual election outcome.
Although Romney was well ahead of Obama in the popular vote at first, Obama won reelection through obtaining 303 electoral votes, as well as the ultimate popular vote decision by the end of election night. Romney totaled in with 206 electoral votes.
This year, many believe that young people would greatly affect the outcome of the election if they came out to vote. Tools such as mock elections are useful in getting students involved, as well as remaining an accurate indicator of how elections might turn out. Practice and education on current societal issues, as well as monitoring those in the running for office can help young adults to make a smart decision. America’s youth encompass the ability to leave a footprint on future elections, if they only take advantage of their voting opportunities.
