For some years now, Western Illinois University (WIU) has conducted mock presidential elections. Using that simulation, the university claims to have accurately predicted the outcomes of the 2007 and 2011 presidential elections.
According to a press release from the university, from October 20 to November 2, 2015, WIU conducted the largest and most elaborate mock presidential simulation in the U.S., involving thousands of its students, who took part in simulations of the Iowa Caucuses, other state primaries, the Democratic and Republican parties’ nominating conventions, and the Electoral College vote.
Through those simulations, the participating students determined primary winners and the winning presidential ticket.
And the result?
According to WIU’s third Mock Presidential Election (MPE), the Democratic ticket of Bernie Sanders (president) and Martin O’Malley (vice president) won.
Bernie Sanders is a declared Socialist who only changed his party ID to Democrat in order to run for the 2016 presidency.
Here’s the breakdown:
- Democratic Party’s Sanders/O’Malley won more than 400 Electoral College votes and 741 popular votes.
- Republican Party’s Jeb Bush (president)/Marco Rubio (vice president) got 114 electoral votes and 577 popular votes.
- Libertarian Party’s Lex Green (president)/Rand Paul (VP) won 159 popular votes.
- Green Party’s Jill Stein(president)/Peter Schwartzman (VP) got 50 popular votes. See www.wiumpe.com for more information.)
The university’s Centennial Honors College Director Richard Hardy said that “students from every college at Western [Illinois University] and virtually every school and department on campus participated by helping to organize the MPE and attending the sessions.”
The Mock Presidential Election simulation process had been developed by Hardy and John Hemingway, associate professor of Recreation, Park and Tourism Administration, when they were senior teaching assistants for American Government classes at the University of Iowa in the mid-1970s. In 2006, Hardy and Hemingway reconnected at WIU and began organizing the campus-wide Mock Presidential Election events.
For more information, see www.wiumpe.com, or contact Hardy at (309) 298-2228 or [email protected].
If WIU’s simulation is correct, I can tell you why:
- Millions of registered Republicans did not vote because GOP elites finagled to have Jeb Bush, who has been at the bottom of every opinion poll, be the party’s nominee.
- Even more millions of Americans did not vote because they couldn’t vote for Donald Trump. Flawed as he is, Trump is the only candidate who is articulating the frustrations and aspirations of many.
H/t FOTM’s MomOfIV
~Eowyn
