Americans head to the polls today to elect their next president. But what do MUN students think about it? We asked 100 students for their thoughts on the US presidential election.
The poll was conducted between 18 and 24 September in the late morning and early afternoon in the University Centre, Science Building, Queen Elizabeth II Library, and Arts and Administration Building.
While this poll may show a tendency among students towards a certain political direction, there are many confounding variables such as time and place, willingness to participate or field of study that may have impacted the results of this poll. This is an informal poll rather than a scientific one.
Election has “earth shattering dimensions,” says MUN prof
Political science professor Dr. Scott Matthews shared his thoughts on this election. What is obvious to him is that this election has “earth shattering dimensions” because of the recent Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity, the position of President has never been more powerful.
This situation then creates a lot of uncertainty in how this presidential power will be exercised. Yet at the same time, Dr. Matthews says that despite this recent Supreme Court proceeding, it’s important to note the limited jurisdiction of the presidency.
Given the partisan division in congress, presidents in recent years have not been able to create many new laws. Dr. Matthews notes of “bursts of policy” such as the Affordable Care Act under Obama, the major tax cuts under Trump, and the infrastructure policies under Biden. Matthews says that Presidents are nonetheless limited through the tendency of narrow majorities in a deeply divided political context.
Dr. Matthews says that while the results of this poll reflect most students contacted are on “the progressive end of American politics”, it also shows a lot of apathy. He says to keep in mind that people may overstate how closely they actually pay attention to US politics.
The MUN Politics and Law Society is hosting a US Election watch party tonight from 8:30-1:30 at the Breezeway.