UWF: Students to conduct exit polling on election day

PENSACOLA, Fla. (WALA) - Nearly 12.5 million 18 to 24 year old registered voters cast ballots in 2008. One question on the minds of some is: will they turn out in 2012?

And what are some issues the candidates are not talking about, but should be.

FOX10 News went to the University of West Florida’s Political Science department looking for some answers.

Recent polls show President Obama and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney within percentage points of one another.

But, no matter which candidate ends up sleeping in the White House next year, one thing is certain, they have a tough job ahead of them.

“A lot of people see the President as the government but the truth is its just one branch out of three and the President has to be able to work with Congress to reach policy decisions and to fall in-line with the Constitution and also appeal to the people,” said Dr. Jocelyn Evans, Political Science chair at the University of West Florida.

She said when Barack Obama targeted young voters in 2008 it was a gamble that paid off in a big way.

Patrick Stepina was an 18-year-old, first time voter in 2008.

“I thought Obama was a very charismatic speaker, I thought he represented a lot of people, he represented a lot of younger people – a lot of students, that definitely got my vote … I wanted to see a change,” said Patrick Stepina, a business management major at UWF.

He’s planning on voting for President Obama this year.

“I was ready to vote for someone new but Mitt Romney’s history and policies were not good for our country,” said Stepina.

Zachary Farrington will vote for the first time this year, he feels differently.

“We now see there hasn’t been much of a record to run-on … I just felt over the past four years it was time for something new,” said Zachary Farrington, a public relations major at UWF.

Farrington plans to vote for Mitt Romney.

“I feel that his background in business and his success he had with the Olympics and with Bain Capital and things like that; he has the means to correct the economic downturn and help with Foreign Policy, said Farrington.

Doctor Evans said people are seeing familiar political strategies from the candidates this year: the incumbent wants you to evaluate the previous four year’s; the challenger wants you to look to the future.

But she says one political exercise has drawn the candidates closer in the polls.

“The debates made a very pivotal role in making that margin much closer … that warms my heart as a political scientist because that means people are actually watching substantive argumentation and debate and using that as a basis for evaluating these candidates,” said Dr. Evans.

She said the election is primarily focused on the economy, and rightfully so, but missing from the debates and the candidate’s agenda is social security and Immigration reform.

Doctor Jocelyn Evans said both campaigns may be wondering whether or not young voters will turn out in high numbers this year.

“Those voters who were so energized and cast their ballot for hope and change (in 2008) those new voters are evaluating the last four years,” said Dr. Evans.