A mock election in honor of the upcoming Constitution Day was held to raise interest in voting on Sept. 10 and 11. 

“Participating in our mock election may help motivate them to start researching or become more informed before the general election which occurs on Nov. 3,” Dr. Yvonne Villanueva-Russell said.

Constitution Day is an annual campus event that has previously included guest speakers to share their knowledge of different amendments. This year, the focus was on the 15th, 19th and 26th amendments, which center around the right to vote. According to Villanueva-Russell, a mock election was picked to allow everyone to have a part.

“The mock election was chosen so that everyone on our campus could participate whether they were a student or faculty and whether they were on campus or learning/working remotely,” she said.

She stated that the voting process extends past just electing someone into office, laws and policies that are enacted can have an impact on aspects of our life such as medical care and education. In terms of how impactful the youth vote is, she states that there is power in numbers.

“There are 47 million 18-to-29-year-olds who are eligible to vote in the 2020 election,” she said. “If everyone in that age group registered to vote and successfully cast their ballot, their collective impact could significantly influence the future direction of our country. “  

In terms of what she wants this mock election to do for students, she stated she hopes this will encourage a sense of responsibility. 

“Faculty and staff have the privilege to develop their own, independent opinions and use the ballot as their ‘voice’ to participate in democracy,” Villanueva-Russell said.

Mock Election Results: 

Participants:

Senior- 26.08%

Graduate Student- 23%

Junior- 15.56%

US President: 

Joseph R. Biden/Kamala D. Harris (D)- 48.51%

Donald J. Trump/Mike Pence (R)- 43.24%

Jo Jorgensen/Jeremy “Spike” Cohen (L)- 3.89%

U.S. Senate

Mary M.J. Hegar (D)- 42.79%

John Cornyn (R)- 40.04%

Undecided- 11.44%

U.S. House of Representatives- Texas 4th Congressional District 

 Russell Foster (D)- 38.21%

Pat Fallon (R)- 36.30%

Undecided- 18.99%

Texas House of Representatives- District 2

Bill Brannon (D)- 42.56%

Bryan Staton (R)- 40.73%

Undecided- 16.70%