Sandburg was “Bernin'”; UWM Students Excited to Vote

UWM Sandburg residents lined up anxiously April 5 to cast their votes in the Wisconsin primary, with many doing it for their very first time. The Sandburg polls, or Ward 127, opened up bright and early at 7 a.m. and closed that night at 8 p.m. By the time the polls closed, students were still lined up out the door waiting to register.

A total of 1,676 students cast ballots throughout the day, with a far more Democratic representation than Republican. Polls counted 1,081 votes for Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders, beating out Hillary Clinton by 850 votes total. Additionally, incumbent mayor Tom Barrett accumulated a total of 989 votes, beating out his opponent Bob Donovan by 712 votes.

341 ballots casted were for the current Republican candidates. Of these, 89 were for Donald Trump, 96 were for John Kasich, and 156 were for Ted Cruz, who ended up winning the Wisconsin primary.

Many students who chose to vote for Sanders said they are supporters of his social policies, which include his highly-sought proposal of free college tuition. Others have chosen to support him simply on the grounds that they are not particularly fond of Clinton.

Sophomore Mark Fey is among those skeptical of Clinton’s credibility for office.

“I am choosing to vote for Bernie because he represents the people more than Hillary in terms of trustworthiness,” said Fey. “I attended the Democratic debate, and it reaffirmed ideas I already had.”

Another sophomore, Jane Dillig, said that Sanders’ visits to Milwaukee influenced her to vote for him.

“Him coming here shows that he cares,” said Dillig. “He’s the best candidate out there and he stands for what I believe in.”

Freshman Alexa Roedl voted for Sanders based on the values that her family raised her with.

“I always vote Democratic, since my family raised me to be Democratic,” said Roedl.

For many students in Sandburg, this was their first opportunity to vote. Some view voting for the first time as an exciting opportunity to finally have a voice of support for the presidential candidate of their choice. Others believe it to be the duty of being an American, whether they support any candidate in the race or not.

“A lot of these things are relevant to our generation, and people need to be educated,” said Roedl.

“If you don’t vote, you’re not being an American citizen,” Jane Dillig said.

Sophomore Emily Acker says that it is especially crucial that everyone gets out and votes in this election because of who the candidates are.

“Everyone’s voices need to be heard,” said Acker, “especially with so many extreme candidates.”

“It is part of the American responsibility to vote,” Mark Fey said. “I was taught all my life that voting is important, and it’s cool to finally do it.”

Maddy Routten, another sophomore, says it is especially important that women go out and vote in this election since women were not allowed to vote until recent history.

“Women worked hard to earn the right,” said Routten, “and I feel that by voting I’m making a difference.”

Some are driven to vote because of their adversity to Donald Trump potentially being elected President. Alex Calvert, a junior, says he saw Trump speak during one of his campaign stops in Milwaukee, in which he believes Trump did not speak about any real issues Americans are facing currently. Calvert voted for Clinton, whom he believes to be a more realistic candidate for President than Bernie Sanders.

“I just don’t want to see Trump as President,” Calvert said. “I’m relieved I finally got to vote against him.”

Some UWM students are strangers to several of the elections on the ballot, such as Milwaukee county executive or circuit court judges. This could particularly be a concern for students who are from out of state and are unfamiliar with local politics, but still registered to vote in Wisconsin.

Sophomore Abbie Trilk did not expect the ballot to carry as many elections as it did.

“The ballot is much bigger than I thought it’d be,” said Trilk. “I was intimidated. I didn’t know all of the elections I was voting for.”

With Sanders’ supporters taking almost two thirds of the ward’s votes, many Sandburg residents were more than likely rejoiced with Sanders’ strong win in Wisconsin that night. The Vermont senator has now won seven of the last eight caucuses against Clinton, and has won 15 caucuses total, although Clinton still retains a delegate lead as the campaigns now shift their attention on New York.