Elections captivate students

The uncertainty of whether Vice President Al Gore or Texas Gov. George W. Bush will become the 43rd president has fragmented the nation, as well as Penn. What is turning out to be one of the closest and most controversial presidential elections in United States history will not be settled until at least late this afternoon, with the prospects of appeals and recounts looming. By informal polls, most students were watching the elections last night, with many staying up until the early hours of the morning. "Taps" was even played by someone in the Quadrangle after Bush was declared the unofficial winner at 3 a.m. The closeness of the election was not totally unexpected, as the media had predicted a very tight election. But no one was expecting the outcome to be so much in doubt the day after voting booths closed. "As an impartial observer, I expected the race to be very close, and I stayed up last night watching it," said College junior Rocco Santangelo, who did not have a candidate preference and did not vote. "The upcoming days will be a big test for the ways of American policy, with lots of controversy definitely to come," he predicted. Whoever wins Florida -- and its 25 electoral votes -- will have the 270 electoral votes necessary to become president. As of last night, Bush had a marginal lead over Gore in the state. Only when the votes are recounted will Florida declare a winner. Most students were aware of the election and its impact. "I think the most interesting aspect of the vote was the fact that Americans are looking for a bipartisan effort, shown by the closeness of all the Senate, House and presidential votes," said Wharton and Engineering freshman Matt Lattman, who voted for Bush. "The race is so close that any effort to make legislation will have to be a bipartisan effort, as any of the senators and representatives can shift on any particular vote," Lattman added. Students were not surprised that Penn has been so politically conscious. "I think that Penn students care a lot about the elections," Engineering freshman Olivia Tzou said. "[Both our being] given the ability to watch the elections last night at Houston Hall, and the Bush, Gore and Nader supporters on Locust Walk show that we care." Of particular importance to the election's outcome are the people who voted for Green Party candidate Ralph Nader. Experts view Nader votes as votes mostly taken away from Gore, and Nader received nearly 100,000 votes in Florida. "I think that the Nader factor not only affected Florida but also affected many other states where Gore lost by only a little," said Tzou, a Gore supporter. "Without Nader, I definitely feel that Gore would have won the presidency."