Do debates impact college students' votes?

Posted at: 10/03/2012 11:04 PM | Updated at: 10/04/2012 2:15 AM
By: Don Hudson | WHEC.com

A new NBC-Wall Street Journal poll finds that about 40% of voters believe Wednesday's debate, along with the two that follow, are extremely or quite important.

Wednesday, News10NBC went out to the College at Brockport to see if students could be swayed by the answers and comments made by the candidates.

Andrea Turpyn and Kirsten Wade are undecided voters. The students say the first presidential debate could help them choose a candidate.

"I don't know that much about what is going on and the candidates. So, I guess that is why I came," Turpyn says.


"I guess I lived in two different households and one leaned one way and one the other. So, I'm kind of in the middle," says Wade.

They went to the school's gallery to watch and listen to Mitt Romney and Barack Obama's plan for the country.

They certainly were not alone - about 120 fellow students were with them. Some were listening and participating in nationwide focus groups - tracking spin and whether candidates answered questions.


"It's really difficult to tell when a presidential candidate is putting spin answers cause their always putting spin  on what they are saying," says student Jesse Ritenour.

Others were there to support their candidate - but willing to acknowledge the other guy.

"I have to give Romney some credit cause he seems like he is answering more specifically," says Senior Kirshaon Ewing. "I hope Obama can get to specifics and make Romney answer some questions."

But back to Andrea and Kirsten. This is the first time the Sophomore and Junior will vote in a presidential election.

So, did the debate move them toward one of the candidates?

Kirsten says, "It's really interesting to see the composure between the two - and how personality affects how you feel about a candidate."

"They both have similar views on certain, but I feel like the differences are going to come out," says Andrea.

It seems liked a majority of students had already picked their candidate, but there were a handful like Kirsten and Andrea who are still looking for one of the candidates to persuade them to their side.

Have a story you want our news team to investigate? Call us at 585-232-1010, click here to send us an e-mail or leave us a Facebook post or tweet.

Print Story