Wheaton's Voters

This morning when I was in Chase, I overheard two girls discussing the election, both agreeing not to vote because they were uncertain who to vote for. This really made me wonder how common non-voting was here, and how common it was to be undecided on election day. So, this afternoon, to connect myself to the election, I asked numerous students who they voted for and why. Here were some of the results:

"Obama. I preferred his policies over McCain's policies. I believe the health care system needs to be nationalized, the education system needs to be reformed, and I feel strongly that the middle and lower class should receive substantially lower taxes. Also, I support civil unions and aggressive energy reform." -Michael Oppenheim, Senior

"Obama. I know nothing about anything, and I just decided to put a name down. My parents said I should vote - it didn't matter for who." -Colleen Smith, Freshman

"Obama. I think we need a change in political party because clearly the Republican approach isn't working well. Obama is a much better speaker and that makes me feel much better about him that at least he can talk. His ideas seem like they will be good ideas; whether he will put them in place or not is a different story." -Katie MacDonald, Freshman

"I could not vote because my registration wouldn't go through but I would've voted for McCain. I think Obama is a good guy, but he is unrealistic in his plans for the future. In his speeches he will throw in random things like that every child who does 12 hours of community service will get $500 for education. He seems naive and unrealistic about the war, whereas McCain knows what goes on in war." -Emily Norris, Freshman

"I didn't vote because every vote doesn't count. I felt both were bad candidates." -Colby Jenkins, Junior

"I missed the registration time so I couldn't vote. I would have voted for Obama because among other things, his policies are better and if by any chance Sarah Palin became president...we would all die." -Anonymous, Junior

So, in answer to my questions, it seems registration time windows were the main deterrent to students who didn't vote, and most student I talked to were able to provide substantive warrants behind their vote. Clearly, the students I talked to represented an interesting mix of political sense, opinion, and voting eligibility.