McMurry Class Looks at Election Results, Drop in Voter Turnout
By: Kristin Anderson
Updated: November 7, 2012
"We tracked the poll results throughout the whole course of the semester," said senior Joshua Rose.
Very little about the election surprised this class of four students. From who ultimately won to which states went to which party, the only shocking revelation was the decrease in voter turnout.
"I really thought that more people would be enthusiastic," Joshua said.
The class looked at the figures, and said that right now it looks like about 12 million voters in 2008 didn't show up this time around.
"It just shows a lack of enthusiasm and actually caring," Joshua said while discussing the numbers.
Professor Paul Fabrizio explains that this shows how unsatisfied the American people are. Saying politicians now have a big job ahead, needing to establish legitimacy in their ideas to gain more supporters.
"A lot of the people look at the politicians and say, 'Your ideas really aren't enough to keep us in your camp' or 'Your ideas aren't enough to give us hope for the future,'" he explained.
In their research, students found that the exit polls mirrored these thoughts.
"Fifty-seven percent in the polls said that they were not happy with the way the country was going. And i was surprised that Romney did not win," said junior Joyce Crooke.
And those students say the drop in voters is bad, and that people need to realize that all of those votes could've made a huge impact.
"If you have a majority of people, like the 12 million, who didn't vote, vote, they could make a difference," Joyce said.


