THE VOTING ISN’T OVER
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THE RESULTS S TODD G. LAMB REPUBLICAN
JOY HOFMEISTER REPUBLICAN
LABOR COMMISSIONER
SUPERINTENDENT FOR PUBLIC INSTRUCTION
LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR
THE WINNERS
MARK COSTELLO REPUBLICAN LANDON KLEIN/THE DAILY
Gov. Mary Fallin announces her victory at her watch party Tuesday night. Fallin won as the republican incumbent for the position of Governor of Oklahoma.
JIM INHOFE U.S. SENATE
REPUBLICAN
Fallin’s win elicits little reaction DAISY CREAGER & JESSE POUND NEWS REPORTERS
A
s Mary Fallin was elected to her second term as governor of Oklahoma, attendees at OU’s largest watch party were silent. Many didn’t know she’d unofficially won.
JAMES LANKFORD
U.S. REPRESENTATIVE
TOM COLE
DISTRICT ATTORNEY
GREG MASHBURN
DISTRICT JUDGE
REPUBLICAN
JEFF VIRGIN
REPUBLICAN
REPUBLICAN
There was a glitch in the OETA stream broadcasting the results, freezing the screen at the time Fallin announced her victory of Democrat challenger Joe Dorman. Student Government Association president Matt Epting found out from an alert on his phone. About 60 students attended the watch party i n C a t e Ma i n , w h i c h was hosted by Student Government Association, Carl Albert Center Civic Engagement fellows, the graduate assistants of Political Science department, Adams Center and Society of Professional Journalists. Students in attendance heard from three
OU professors, including political science professor Allen Hertzke, Society of Professional Journalists adviser Judy Gibbs Robinson and English education professor Lawrence Baines, about the importance of mid-term elections and journalists’ role in covering elections before the election results were in. Hertzke said mid-term elections have the potential to “raise up a new star” in politics, while Robinson talked about how journalism can influence elections and the ethics of reporting elections. Many of the students left after Hertzke spoke; they were promised extra credit for listening to his speech. About 40 students
remained for the results of the election, which netted fewer total voters than the 2010 general election and which included state questions that an OU political science professor said didn’t really concern students. Of those students, none held political signs or wore T-shirts endorsing candidates. The students watched results pour in from two TVs hanging from a wall playing news from CNN for national elections results and OETA for state elections results. Some students had “I voted” stickers stuck to their shirts. With 459,788 votes, 26.5 percent fewer voters voted Fallin into her second term compared to the 2010 election where she was voted into her first term. Unofficial results show that 337,728 voted for Dorman, 21.2 percent less than voted for the losing Democrat in the 2010 election. Ellen Fitzsimmons, mathematics freshman who attended the watch party, said
BY THE NUMBERS Voter turnout for Cleveland County registered voters
144,475 Registered voters in Cleveland County
60,158
Registered voters voted for governor in this election
41.6
Percent of total registered voters who voted for governor Source: State Election Board
that though she voted, she doesn’t really agree with any of the candidates. “Most candidates don’t represent what I want,” Fitzsimmons said. Only 8 percent of
Cleveland County’s voting populations are 18 to 24, or college-aged students, according to data from the Oklahoma State Election Board. In a Nov. 4 story, Matt Epting told The Daily, “It’s a vicious cycle: Millennials don’t participate in elections, so lawmakers don’t keep our needs in mind. In turn, millennials feel ignored by legislators and grow cynical.” At the event, Epting said he was happy with the event and the turn out. Victoria Bautista, who was with the Carl Albert Center Civic Engagement fellows, said she too was happy with the event. “What’s more important to me is the conversation, and obviously everyone is just buzzing,” Bautista said. Daisy Creager Daisy.C.Creager-1@ou.edu Jesse Pound jesserpound@gmail.com
SOONER SAMPLER
How did students feel about the elections? BILLY NORLIN
UDAY KOHLI
BIOLOGY SOPHOMORE
BIOLOGY FRESHMAN
ELLEN FITZSIMMONS MATHEMATICS FRESHMAN
Go online to oudaily.com for more detailed election results WEATHER Partly cloudy today with a high of 64, low of 45. Follow @AndrewGortonWX on Twitter for weather updates.
“I was kind of expecting Mary Fallin to be reelected, but I thought it was going to be a closer race than that.”
On Fallin and Lamb winning: “ ... maybe disappointed, but not surprised.”
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On voting: “I voted, but I just don’t really agree with any of the candidates.”
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