A class of Illinois State University students will be polling local voters on Election Day about candidate choices and opinions on hot-button issues. The students in Professor Shamira Gelbman’s Politics and Government 312 Public Opinion class will be outside the Bone Student Center from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 2.

In addition to interviewing members of the public and the campus community, the students will analyze the data gathered and issue a press release on the polling results on Thursday, Nov. 4. The project is funded by a Community Engagement Learning Grant from Illinois State’s Center for Teaching, Learning, and Technology (CTLT).

“This presents an opportunity for students to apply what they have learned in class about the problems and best practices of public opinion polling by working through the challenges of collaboratively designing and administering a poll and then analyzing and reporting its results,” said Gelbman. “Additionally, by putting themselves in pollsters’ shoes in this way, they will have a hands-on opportunity to learn about the voting behavior and political views of the local community and experience the midterm election from a unique vantage point.”

For further information, Gelbman can be reached at sgelbman@ilstu.edu or (309) 438-8071.

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