MACON — Barrack Obama won Mercer University’s Student Government Association-sponsored mock election on Oct. 28, but just barely. The Obama/Biden ticket took 49.6 percent of the vote to John McCain and Sarah Palin’s 46.5 percent.
Not only is the race close at Mercer, but recent Georgia polls reflect that the general election will likely be a tight race for the state as well. In Georgia, an Oct. 28 poll by Insider Advantage showed McCain ahead of Obama by one point with a 3.8 percent margin of error.
A total of 393 students cast ballots in the voluntary election, which included questions on whether students were registered to vote and if they were planning to vote. Of the students who cast ballots, 90 percent are registered to vote and 89 percent plan to vote on Nov. 4.
“The election went great. In my opinion, a very good sample of the population at Mercer participated,” said Daniel Groce, an SGA junior senator who helped organize the event. “I wish more people would have voted, but 393 is a fairly normal vote for campus-wide elections. It will be interesting to see how this pans out against the general election results.”
According to Mercer’s election results, Obama/Biden received 49.6 percent, McCain/Sarah Palin received 46.5 percent, while third party tickets of Robert Barr/Wayne Root received 1.53 percent and Ralph Nader/Matt Gonzalez received 1.27 percent. The tickets of Cynthia McKinney/Rosa Clements and Charles Baldwin/Darrell Castle each received one vote.
About Mercer University:
Founded in 1833, Mercer University is a dynamic and comprehensive center of undergraduate, graduate and professional education. The University has more than 7,500 students; 11 schools and colleges – liberal arts, law, pharmacy, medicine, business, engineering, education, theology, music, nursing and continuing and professional studies; major campuses in Macon, Atlanta and Savannah; three regional academic centers across the state; a university press; two teaching hospitals — Memorial University Medical Center and the Medical Center of Central Georgia; educational partnerships with Warner Robins Air Logistics Center in Warner Robins and Piedmont Healthcare in Atlanta; an engineering research center in Warner Robins; a performing arts center in Macon; and a NCAA Division I athletic program. For more information, visit www.mercer.edu.
–30–
