The results are in for Austin’s San Miguel Middle School students concerning who they’d like to see elected president in November – Obama’s going all the way.
In a mock election last Thursday at the San Miguel, 819 N. Leamington Ave., 67 of 76 students from fifth to eighth grade voted for Obama to win the election.
But more than just wanting him to be elected, 60 said they now expect their man to win the real thing, too.
“He’s made it this far,” said Wesley Brown, an eighth-grader. “Now I think he’s going to win it all.”
Following the vote, students said they think white voters have proved willing to vote for either a black man or a woman for president.
“It would be fantastic because it means the world is changing, and they’re not being as racist as they used to be,” said eighth-grader Monique Bolden.
Students, however, were split on whether race was a factor in their picks.
Of the 67 students who voted for Obama, 23 stated that it was because he’s black, which was the most common answer. Twenty mentioned an aspect of his personality, such as his trustworthiness or his intelligence.
“I don’t care what color he is,” said eighth-grader Mikayla Risper. “His leading ability is all that matters.”
But the kids also expressed deep concerns about Obama’s safety should he win the presidency.
“I don’t want it to be like Martin Luther King Jr. all over again,” said student Jamal Davis. “I don’t want to say, ‘There goes another one of our best.'”
Still, with a vague recollection of the last two presidential elections, many students are skeptical of the voting system concerning Obama’s chances.
“There are a lot of sneaky people out there,” said eighth-grader Jakendra Seals. “I think they’re going to take people’s votes and cheat them out of them because they don’t want a black person to win. So some people won’t vote for Barack because they think their votes won’t count.”
Brown added, “I’ve noticed you can’t really vote for people based on what they say. You have to vote based on your hopes for that person.”
Nevertheless, eighth-grader Mika Morgan thinks voter’s are changing their view about blacks.
“Maybe they’ll see something positive now instead of always seeing negative things about black people,” she said.
