Campus Poll Reveals Apathy Among Student Voters

INFORMAL POLL SHOWS STUDENTS NOT VOTING

By Alexander Shedd, Assistant News Editor 

An informal poll conducted on campus reveals that a majority of polled students are either unsure or not voting in the upcoming Virginia gubernatorial election.

Of the 65 polled students, approximately twelve percent said they would vote for Democratic candidate Ralph Northam. Five students, roughly eight percent, said they would vote for Republican candidate Ed Gillespie.

Twenty-two students, or about 34 percent, said they would probably vote, but were unsure of who the candidates are or which way they would vote. Finally, 30 students, an overwhelming 46 percent, said they would not vote at all.

The poll was conducted in Roger Wilkins Plaza on the afternoon of Oct. 18, and randomly sampled 65 students passing by on Mason’s Fairfax campus. All polled students claimed to be eligible to vote in Virginia.


Correction: The graphic for the campus election poll (page 3, Oct. 23) incorrectly identified Ralph Northam’s results in green rather than blue, showing his support from 34 percent  of students instead of the correct figure of 12 percent.