UW Oshkosh student voters were ready to cast the majority of their ballots on Nov. 4 for
Democratic candidate Mary Burke, although it was expected to be a close match against Gov.
Scott Walker.
According to a projection by the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, statewide
turnout was expected to be around 56 percent, about the same as Walker’s recall election in
2012. Analyses of past UWO student voter turnouts suggested about 25 percent of students
would cast their ballots this election. The Real Clear Politics average from Oct. 31 projected
Walker winning by about two points.
Burke’s main platform for her campaign was to improve Wisconsin’s economy and
education. She used her previous job of leading strategic planning at Trek Bicycle Corp. as a
basis of how to get the economy back on track. She wanted to protect education and healthcare
because these are two things that would help the economics of Wisconsin grow, according to
her plan “Invest for Success.”
Walker’s platform for his campaign was to “move Wisconsin forward.” He aimed to
continue creating jobs and businesses for Wisconsin.
Tuition and student debt was one of the biggest issues the gubernatorial candidates
faced among student voters in this election.
Walker said keeping college tuition low was a key part of his economic strategy because
it would help more people earn advanced degrees and find higher paying jobs. He planned to
extend the UW tuition freeze for an additional two years.
Burke feared that this would have long-term effects on the students and programs. In
her plan "Invest for Success" she promised to take several measures to help college students,
including making student loan payments state tax deductible, reducing cost per student and
establishing an authority that would allow students to refinance their loans.
With a nearly 60 percent majority of female students, women’s rights were expected to
play a major role for UWO voters in the election. Female voters at UWO were more likely to
vote for Burke, whose position on women's issues were seen as more supportive of feminist
topics such as contraception, sexual assault and equal pay.
Burke’s positive vision of restoring freedom and opportunity to women and their families
was motivating the vote of women all across Wisconsin, and polling on campus made it clear
she had a majority of female students’ votes on her side.
According to politicususa.com, Burke was leading Walker by nine points among women.
In contrast, Walker leads Burke by ten points among men.
According to her website, Burke aimed to create jobs in Wisconsin through the industries
of agriculture, manufacturing, tourism, forest products and technology.
Walker’s plan is to continue creating more jobs by investing in technical colleges and
training more workers in high demand fields to close the skills gap, according to his job plan.
The issue of jobs in Wisconsin was not expected to play a role in the vote on campus
because many students did not have strong comprehensive knowledge about the job plans
created by Walker and Burke.
The recent voter ID law may have caused some confusion for student voters and kept
them from heading to the polls. Some students were unsure what they needed to bring with
them to vote, which may have led to some avoidance of the polls, but extensive media coverage
may have helped them to better understand it. This law was not allowed to be applied to this
election, mainly due to lack of sufficient time for voters to comply.
For most UWO students living on campus, this election was the first time they were able
to vote.
Students tend to base their opinions and voting on what they learned from their parents,
and speaking with numerous UWO students confirmed this trend on campus.
Chris Owen, a communications major and communications club president, said a
student’s upbringing needs to be considered when understanding a parent’s influence.
“For 18 years of your life you live with them and soak a lot of information up from them
as they tell you what is right and wrong,” he said. “They give you the quality of life that may
sway what side of the aisle you vote on.”
Taking these issues into account, student journalists projected campus voters to cast
443 to 453 votes for Burke and 362 to 372 votes for Walker, for a total of approximately 815
votes. These numbers were decided upon after weeks of research and extensive discussion,
and apply to Ward 3 in Oshkosh, which covers campus residence halls.
Historical voting data of Oshkosh shows the campus sways toward Democratic
candidates in most elections, although turnout varies based on the type of election and time of
year it occurs.
Democratic candidate Mary Burke, although it was expected to be a close match against Gov.
Scott Walker.
According to a projection by the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, statewide
turnout was expected to be around 56 percent, about the same as Walker’s recall election in
2012. Analyses of past UWO student voter turnouts suggested about 25 percent of students
would cast their ballots this election. The Real Clear Politics average from Oct. 31 projected
Walker winning by about two points.
Burke’s main platform for her campaign was to improve Wisconsin’s economy and
education. She used her previous job of leading strategic planning at Trek Bicycle Corp. as a
basis of how to get the economy back on track. She wanted to protect education and healthcare
because these are two things that would help the economics of Wisconsin grow, according to
her plan “Invest for Success.”
Walker’s platform for his campaign was to “move Wisconsin forward.” He aimed to
continue creating jobs and businesses for Wisconsin.
Tuition and student debt was one of the biggest issues the gubernatorial candidates
faced among student voters in this election.
Walker said keeping college tuition low was a key part of his economic strategy because
it would help more people earn advanced degrees and find higher paying jobs. He planned to
extend the UW tuition freeze for an additional two years.
Burke feared that this would have long-term effects on the students and programs. In
her plan "Invest for Success" she promised to take several measures to help college students,
including making student loan payments state tax deductible, reducing cost per student and
establishing an authority that would allow students to refinance their loans.
With a nearly 60 percent majority of female students, women’s rights were expected to
play a major role for UWO voters in the election. Female voters at UWO were more likely to
vote for Burke, whose position on women's issues were seen as more supportive of feminist
topics such as contraception, sexual assault and equal pay.
Burke’s positive vision of restoring freedom and opportunity to women and their families
was motivating the vote of women all across Wisconsin, and polling on campus made it clear
she had a majority of female students’ votes on her side.
According to politicususa.com, Burke was leading Walker by nine points among women.
In contrast, Walker leads Burke by ten points among men.
According to her website, Burke aimed to create jobs in Wisconsin through the industries
of agriculture, manufacturing, tourism, forest products and technology.
Walker’s plan is to continue creating more jobs by investing in technical colleges and
training more workers in high demand fields to close the skills gap, according to his job plan.
The issue of jobs in Wisconsin was not expected to play a role in the vote on campus
because many students did not have strong comprehensive knowledge about the job plans
created by Walker and Burke.
The recent voter ID law may have caused some confusion for student voters and kept
them from heading to the polls. Some students were unsure what they needed to bring with
them to vote, which may have led to some avoidance of the polls, but extensive media coverage
may have helped them to better understand it. This law was not allowed to be applied to this
election, mainly due to lack of sufficient time for voters to comply.
For most UWO students living on campus, this election was the first time they were able
to vote.
Students tend to base their opinions and voting on what they learned from their parents,
and speaking with numerous UWO students confirmed this trend on campus.
Chris Owen, a communications major and communications club president, said a
student’s upbringing needs to be considered when understanding a parent’s influence.
“For 18 years of your life you live with them and soak a lot of information up from them
as they tell you what is right and wrong,” he said. “They give you the quality of life that may
sway what side of the aisle you vote on.”
Taking these issues into account, student journalists projected campus voters to cast
443 to 453 votes for Burke and 362 to 372 votes for Walker, for a total of approximately 815
votes. These numbers were decided upon after weeks of research and extensive discussion,
and apply to Ward 3 in Oshkosh, which covers campus residence halls.
Historical voting data of Oshkosh shows the campus sways toward Democratic
candidates in most elections, although turnout varies based on the type of election and time of
year it occurs.