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What is the Middlebury Straw Poll
This Winter Term, PSCI 1160 will be hosting the first ever Middlebury Straw Poll, to gauge which candidates for the Democratic nomination may be able to gain support from these two critical demographics. Since we know the candidates won’t be campaigning in Vermont, students from PSCI 1160 will be running mini-campaigns to try to attract support for their assigned candidates. The candidates are Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden, Cory Booker, Kamala Harris, and Beto O’Rourke. After the poll, the data collected will be sent to each of the candidate's campaigns to help them design campaign strategy for towns in New Hampshire like Middlebury.
FAQ
The Answers You Need
Who is eligible to vote in the Middlebury Straw Poll?
Participation in the Straw Poll is limited to currently enrolled Middlebury College students, currently employed faculty and staff of Middlebury College, and all residents of the Town of Middlebury (voters will be required to show either a Middlebury College ID or a Vermont ID showing a residential address in the town of Middlebury)
Are absentee ballots allowed?
If a voter can prove that they are an eligible voter in the Middlebury Straw Poll who will not be physically present in the Town of Middlebury on Wednesday, January 30th, they may email their vote in to bwessel@middlebury.edu with the exact subject line “Middlebury Straw Poll - Official Ballot.” They must include either their Middlebury College ID number in the body of the email or their residential address in the town of Middlebury. Absentee ballot fraud will not be tolerated and candidates whose campaigns engage in absentee ballot fraud will be kicked off the ballot on Straw Poll Day. Absentee ballots must be received by 7pm ET on Weds, January 30th
When is Early Voting?
Early voting begins on Monday, January 28th at the end of class (12:30pm). Early votes must be cast by 7pm ET on Weds, Jan 30th. Early votes can be tallied in one of two ways:
Early votes can be dropped in one of the ballot boxes collecting responses for the Middlebury Straw poll.
Early votes may also be harvested by the campaign team. Ballot harvesting is the act of collecting ballots from eligible voters and turning them into the ballot box yourself. PLEASE BE CAREFUL WITH FRAUD. Make sure that each individual signs their own ballot and that you’re not filling out a voters’ ballot for them.
Where will Early Vote locations be set up?
here will be three Early Vote locations for the Middlebury Straw Poll:
Bi Hall, outside the Armstrong Library
McCullough, outside the entrance to the Grille
One TBD location in downtown Middlebury.