The presidential election isn't until tomorrow, but Penn students have already decided they want Barack Obama to be their beer-pong-champion-in-chief.
Nearly 70 percent of students, according to a new poll conducted by The Daily Pennsylvanian, would rather have a beer with Democratic nominee Barack Obama than with Republican nominee John McCain.
And Penn students are even more certain about their choice for president.
An overwhelming 80 percent of students prefer Obama, while only 13 percent favor McCain.
This percentage is consistent with a recent poll of Penn students conducted from Oct. 6 to Oct. 19 by CBS News/Chronicle of Higher Education/UWire/The Daily Pennsylvanian, which showed Obama receiving 81-percent support.
Strong youth turnout will be essential for Obama to clinch the presidency tomorrow night.
As Pennsylvania remains within reach for McCain in some key polls, the youth vote could matter tremendously for Obama to carry the state.
On Penn's campus, the youth vote appears ready to make a difference.
The poll indicates that a strong majority of students are taking the election seriously, with 44 percent having tuned into all three presidential debates and only 9 percent having not watched any of the debates. For the vice-presidential debate, 83 percent watched Delaware Sen. Joe Biden battle Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
Nearly 88 percent of Penn students claim they are monitoring the election closely or very closely. And 83 percent are "certain" they will vote tomorrow.
However, with national polls indicating unprecedented disapproval of President George W. Bush and the Democratic-controlled Congress, Penn students seem to question both political parties' ability to get things done.
Forty percent of students polled put the economy as the most pressing issue, far higher than any other concern. But only 54 percent of students trusted Democrats to effectively handle the crisis, and 23 percent said they did not trust either party to handle the issue.
While 71 percent say they "strongly" support their candidate, students remained mixed about who has the best experience to lead. Forty-one percent of students said McCain has the best experience, while 36 percent said Obama has the experience to be president.
In all other qualities, however, students gave the Democrat the advantage, with 72 percent saying Obama is the strongest leader. Students also gave him a clear advantage on every policy issue polled, including education, health care and the war in Iraq.
Students also weighted heavily a candidate's professional abilities as a presidential qualification, which should give McCain, a long-serving senator, an advantage.
However, students were seemingly turned off by the Republican ticket after Palin was chosen as the vice-presidential nominee, as 72 percent said the choice "strongly worsened" their view of McCain's candidacy.
Regardless of their affiliation, 87 percent said they believe Obama will be elected president on Nov. 4.
But if McCain were to eek out a victory, students would still have someone in the White House with whom they would have a beer - 43 percent of students would share a six-pack with Alaska hockey mom Palin.
The Daily Pennsylvanian poll was conducted online from Oct. 27 to Oct. 30. The results were based on a random sample of 660 students - 54.8 percent of respondents were graduate students, 37.12 percent were undergraduate sophomores, 5.61 percent were juniors, 1.52 percent were seniors and 0.6 percent were freshmen. The margin of error for the poll is about four percent.
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