DHS Mock Election Concludes

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While the actual Presidential election is a little over a week away, the Dominion mock election wrapped up Wednesday with a school-wide vote. In a landslide victory, Hillary Clinton (Koroush Bana) triumphed over opponents Stein (Max Dyson), Trump (Ethan Swain), and Johnson (Josh Toohey).

Before voting began, each candidate aired one final advertisement in a last-ditch attempt to win over undecided voters. Johnson chose to air a student-created ad about his economic policy, while Trump and Clinton each aired attack ads against one another. Jill Stein’s campaign, meanwhile, played a minute-long montage of the candidate exploring the environment outside Dominion in an effort to highlight Stein’s environmental policy.

After the campaign ads, each student was handed a ballot. In addition to the Presidential vote, the ballot asked students for their preferences in the Comstock-Bennett Congressional race and on two proposed VA Constitutional amendments.

Voters came out in force for Clinton, who won 423 electoral votes. Second in the electoral college was Jill Stein, who won 55 electoral votes and five states—Wisconsin, Georgia, Ohio, Louisiana, and Montana. Next came Trump, who won 39 electoral votes and 4 states. Despite winning 6 states, Gary Johnson placed last in the electoral college, winning only 21 electoral votes.

Though the electoral college was a Clinton rout, the popular vote was much closer—albeit still a resounding Democratic success. Clinton won 523 of the 1,263 ballots cast, Johnson won 258, Trump won 248, and Stein won 234. Curiously enough, the popular vote place finishes for the last three contenders were an inversion of their order in the electoral standings.

Much closer than the Presidential race was the Congressional race, where LuAnn Bennett edged out Barbara Comstock 51.2% to 48.8%. A majority of students voted ‘No’ to the first proposed Congressional amendment—regarding union policy—and overwhelmingly chose ‘Yes’ for the second ballot initiative, an amendment allowing widows and widowers of fallen heroes to be exempted from property taxes.