Rocking down the road to election

The “Rock the Mock” mock election is gearing up and getting ready to go with just a few days away

By Leah Alsept (@leah_0913)

There are only a few days until the next “Rock the Mock” mock election on the University of Findlay campus. Four years ago, Findlay Media Network (now know as UF Digital Media club) held its very first mock election with decent success—more than 500 Oilers showed up at the Alumni Memorial Union to vote between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump for president of the United States.

The mock election results voted Trump in office much like the real election results a few days later.

Currently, Biden is leading the electoral college by 273 votes while Trump has 125 electoral college votes. There are 140 states in a “toss-up” area—meaning undecided between either candidate, according to a Financial Times poll tracker at the time of writing this article. Candidates need 270 electoral college votes to win the presidential election.

The power that people wield to vote, especially young college-aged students, is important to America, senior PR major Alana Sundermann, a member of UFDM.

“I also think that it’s important for the younger generations to really step in and use our voice and do those things because we are gonna be stepping into the workforce soon,” she said. “Our voice does matter and we do have a say in how things are being governed and decided.”

Although Sundermann understands the importance of voting, according to a Knight Foundation study called the 100 Million Project, 18 to 24-year-olds—college-aged—Americans are uninterested in voting and politics in general.

“Fewer are interested in voting in 2020 than non-voters, principally because they don’t care about politics. They also struggle the most with the voting process,” said the Knight Foundation.

The Knight Foundation later went on to study 4,000 college students specifically and found that 71% of college students will vote in the election most likely by mail and for Joe Biden, but, are worried about the legitimacy of the election and are not enthused by either candidate.

“I really genuinely hope to see a lot of students participate; I feel like this is such a big election,” Sundermann said.

Voting rights may stay the same after four years, but one thing that isn’t the same in 2020 is the presence of the coronavirus disease in schools, homes, and communities.

Enforced social distancing makes it harder for events to happen on campus—often, events that previously have large in-person gatherings are postponed or moved entirely online or a hybrid mix over Zoom.

Sundermann and her Mass Communication and Digital Media class group found an auditory way they thought would appeal to their generation while promoting the next mock election—podcasts.

Scheduled for six podcasts, the lineup so far includes Doug Jenkins, former radio host at WKXA and Station Adviser at WLFC on campus, Dr. Adams, Assistant Professor of Communication, and Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s Chief of Staff, Merle Madrid.

“I just hope that we exercise enough campaigning and promotion of this event, which I think we have done a pretty good job for the most part, but I hope people actually take liberty going and voting and take it seriously,” Sundermann said.

“Rock the Mock” will be held on Oct. 27 from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Center for Student Life and College of Business on the University’s campus. Voting in the mock election is open to all students, faculty, and staff. Votes will be made via email or in-person at the CBSL during the event, and are also counted towards a drawing for a t-shirt.

For more updates on the mock election, visit online at pulse.findlay.edu or on Twitter @UFPulse, Facebook @UFPulse, and Instagram @ufpulse.

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