A Clean Sweep!

Yesterday during lunch time, Vanguard held a mock school ballot for this years Illinois Congress elections. There are 6 positions in Congress: United States Senator, Attorney General, Comptroller, Governor and Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, and Treasure. Each job has a specific duty responsible for helping make the laws for the United States. What students voted on Friday were who they thought was best suited to represent Illinois in Congress. Here are the final results of the official election, and the Vanguard School election.

Official Illinois Election:

United States Senator- Richard Durbin (53.1%)
Attorney General- Lisa Madigan (59.1%)
Comptroller- Judy Baar Topinka (49.9%)
Governor and Lieutenant Governor- Bruce Rauner (50.7%)
Secretary of State- Jesse White (65.4%)
Treasurer- Tom Cross (48.2%)

Vanguard Mock Election:

United States Senator- Richard Durbin (69.2%)
Attorney General- Lisa Madigan (64.3%)
Comptroller- Sheila Simon (73.3%)
Governor and Lieutenant Governor- Pat Quinn (76.9%) 
Secretary of State- Jesse White (73.3%)
Treasurer- Michael Frerichs (64.3%)

As you can see, while the official votes were split between Democrats and Republicans, Vanguard school proved to be overwhelmingly in favor of the Democratic party. I interviewed students and staff on their thoughts on why this is, and this is what they had to say:

"I think students here are passionate about issues that Democrats are typically fighting for." Says Dianna S. "Things like gay marriage and gun control are important to the students here at Vanguard School."

Frankie P. adds, "Usually you find more liberal people like Democrats in areas like large cities, whereas people in rural areas tend to be more conservative. Here in Chicago there are many different people with various backgrounds, ethnicities, religions etc. and I think that can definitely influence someones voting."

Mr. Koz also had an interesting perspective. "I'm curious to know whether it's just Vanguard School that's Democratic, or High Schools in general. The older you get, it seems the more conservative you become, probably because as you grow older you have more things to lose. Republicans focus on things such as businesses and profit, while Democrats focus on things like human rights. When you're 50 and trying to pay for your home, being on the Republican end of things doesn't seem like a bad idea."

Even though the voting turn out for Vanguard school was not as great as we had hoped for (ranging at about 15 total votes each person) we would like to thank those who did vote, and encourage those who didn't to get involved in voting as soon as possible, whether at school or in real life!

-Gabriella San Felipe