A really personal election for "Real Democracy" students

There they were on election night this Tuesday—15 students, pizza in hand, crowded around Professor Bob Turner’s kitchen counter as he did a rough vote tally on his laptop based on exit-polling data collected on Election Day.

It was 9 p.m. and official results would not be for at least an hour. But armed with more than 350 exit poll surveys collected from most of the city’s polling locations and representing five percent of the overall vote, Turner was confident that they could predict the winners, if not the margin of victory. Question number 3 on the 18-question survey asked voters to declare those for whom they voted.

“We already know who won,” Turner announced to the group with a smile. “It’s all about the incumbents.” They were Mayor Joanne Yepsen, Public Works Commissioner Skip Scirocco, Public Safety Commissioner Chris Mathiesen, and Finance Commissioner Michele Madigan. Accounts Commissioner John Franck ran unopposed.

“Isn’t this the best day ever?” said one student, basking in the joy that comes from being part of a tight group of peers engaged in a real-life event of consequence, not to mention having what felt like insider information.

By 9:40 p.m., the group was out the back door and on its way to both the Republican and Democratic election parties at the Holiday Inn and the Inn at Saratoga, respectively, literally across the street from each other.

“This course, Real Democracy, is designed to take the students through the political process,” explains Turner. “From attending City Council meetings in September and the candidates’ debate in October, to mapping political lawn signs and producing CSPAN-like videos of the candidates, to polling on election day and attending the culminating parties, they got a powerful educational experience in how democracy actually works.” 

Says Rachael Thomeer ’18, who did exit polling at City Center, a voting site for five election districts, “Since local elections are on a much smaller scale than the state and federal levels, it’s possible to see the big and small picture simultaneously, which was helpful in understanding the electoral system as a whole. It's really a microcosm of the American political system.” 

George Gelzer ’16, who hopes to start his professional life as a CIA or NSA analyst before applying to med school, staffed the polling place at the Interlaken Community Center from 2 to 9 p.m. “What strikes me is how elections and voting on the local level are just as crazy and foolish as they are at the national level,” he says. “The politics are really similar.”

The issues that galvanized voters surprised Bronx native Megan Schachter ’17, who relieved Thomeer at City Center. “It’s really fascinating to see how a concept like the ‘City in the Country’ can sway an election so much,” she told a Saratogian reporter. She was also surprised that the perceived need for cooperation and civility among elected officials was a small-town platform issue.

A not unexpected outgrowth of the students’ experience was their evolving relationship with the local community. Says Thomeer, who comes from Buffalo, N.Y., “I used to think that Saratoga Springs was a relatively homogeneous place, but it’s more diverse than I thought. This class helped me break out of the Skidmore bubble and become more knowledgeable about issues facing the city. I feel more invested in the community and I would like to stay involved in the future.”

Adds Turner, “The students came to see the human side of the election since they met, talked with, and got to know the candidates. It was hard for them to see those who didn’t come out on top. Tough because there is a real person behind each candidate.

“At the Holiday Inn, they got to see up close and in person mayoral challenger John Safford concede to and congratulate incumbent Joanne Yepsen—that ritual of democracy. A very cool moment.”

For the Real Democracy students, there is still work to be done compiling and analyzing the exit-poll data, which Turner believes may be the only such data available in local elections across the Capital Region. In late November, they will host a public presentation about the election findings. ~ By Peter MacDonald