Miami University Community Watching For Election Results

BY ANGIE RIFFLE, KATIE NIXDORF and SARA MEURER
Miami University journalism students

In a swing state as unpredictable as Ohio, every vote counts. With the 2016 presidential election just days away, energy and tension are high among Miami University students.

In Miami’s political science department, professor Bryan Marshall has noticed that students are enthusiastic about this election, and for good reason.

“This will be the first presidential election where millennials will outnumber other generations, so the voting block of young people is very very important, very critical.”

Advanced voting grows

This year, Republican voters in Butler County have almost three times more absentee and vote-by-mail requests than the last election.

Some Miami students that live out-of-state are choosing to cast their vote in Ohio, instead of in their home state. Senior Kate Hendrickson, an Illinois resident, chose to register in Ohio instead of casting an absentee ballot.

“I think, like Illinois, my vote wouldn’t necessarily count as much and I think it’s great that, especially students, this is the first election that we can vote in and it’s great that people want to make a difference and want to take the opportunity to vote in a state that is actually going to count their vote,” she said.

According to Hamilton Journal News, 66 percent of the 248,000 Butler County residents are expected to vote this year.

Trump Jr. draws crowds

The increase in early voters around Butler County may have been sparked by a visit from Donald J. Trump Jr., who was in Oxford on Oct. 24 to encourage early voting.

Hundreds of people, including Miami students and faculty, came to Brick Street bar to listen to Trump Jr. speak.

To get involved, some students even volunteered at the event. Junior Melina George was one of these students.

“I don’t think that there are a lot of college students that are as involved as they should be in politics, and they’re not making informed decisions in my opinion and I think that this is a great place and a great opportunity for students at Miami to really get involved and really kind of understand the issues about this election,” George said.

Other students used the event to get involved by protesting and voicing their own opinions.

But no matter which side they were on, all sides agreed with Prof. Marshall on one thing:

“The most important thing is that our students need to vote, you know, they need to have a voice, that’s the most important thing.”

Photo: Students enter Brick Street bar for Donald J. Trump Jr.'s Oct. 24 visit. -- Photo by Ryan Terhune

This story was produced by students in a broadcast journalism class at Miami University. Photo