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MC
class poll shows many
Whitley County voters undecided
A poll of 171 Whitley County registered voters randomly selected for a
Manchester College business class provided little clarity in four local
races with a quarter to a third of those polled undecided.
The 14 senior business majors attempted to call 1,000 of the county’s
20,000 registered voters on Oct. 2, to
get hands-on experience in marketing research, said instructor Randy
Holler. Students will perform a full analysis of the results and attempt
to find significant differences in preferences based upon gender, party
affiliation, household income, age, and whether a person is likely or
unlikely to vote.
Those polled gave solid Whitley County support to U.S. Rep. Mark Souder
over challenger Thomas Hayhurst in the Third District race for U.S.
Congress.
The race for Whitley County sheriff was particularly close, giving
Democrat Michael S. Christie a slim 2-point margin over Republican Mark
E. Hodges. However, more than 25 percent of those polled were undecided,
making the sheriff’s race impossible to predict, said Holler.
Similarly, with 30 percent undecided, those polled gave almost a 9
percent lead to Democrat Michael D. Schrader over Republican Doug
Schrader in the County Commissioner District 2 race.
In County Council District 1, with 33 percent undecided, again making
the race impossible to call, Republican John M. Barrett had a
substantial lead over Democrat James Horne.
In County Council District 3, with 20 percent undecided, Republican Glen
Larue had a 10-point lead over Democrat Joseph R. Zickgraf.
The survey, conducted independent of any political party, was designed
as a learning experience for the students. Because of the small response
rate, the polls results are mathematically accurate only to within 7
percent, Holler said.
The results will be made available to both political parties, Holler
said.
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