By: Victoria David
Last Wednesday’s third and final Presidential Debate Watch Party hosted by Mason Votes was the perfect opportunity to interview the Mason community to find out how much they knew about the candidates and issues of Election 2016. Scroll down for the Mason Votes’ Election 2016 Policy Quiz.
The Candidates:
Top Row: Trump, Pence, Clinton, Kaine, Finn. Bottom Row: Stein, Baraka, Johnson, Weld, McMullin.
Donald Trump (R) and Hillary Clinton (D) are two of the most recognizable people on earth, but what about the vice presidential and third party candidates?
Most students knew about vice presidential candidates Tim Kaine (D) and Mike Pence (R), although some were confused about which party’s ticket each was associated with.
However, when it came to third party candidates Jill Stein (Green) and Gary Johnson (Libertarian), nearly half of the students we interviewed had no idea who they even were.
Not to mention independent conservative presidential candidate Evan McMullin (I), whose name recognition was roughly one in ten. If you’re not sure who I’m talking about, McMullin is a former CIA operative and House GOP Chief Policy Director who announced his independent candidacy back in August, pitching himself to voters as an alternative to the main party candidates intent on bringing “a new generation of leadership to Washington.”
The third party running mates fared even worse. No one was able to identify Stein, Johnson, or McMullin’s vice presidential running mates (Ajamu Baraka, Bill Weld, and Mindy Finn respectively).
Now you’ll be able to shine the next time your family’s dinnertime discussion gets political!
The Issues:
With most of the media coverage and debates overwhelmed by outsized personalities and the “state of the race,” it can be difficult for voters to keep track of where each candidate stands on the actual issues that are facing our country. To learn more, check out Mason Votes’ recent post on third party candidate platforms and CEEP’s nonpartisan policy guide.
On the issues, all of the students I interviewed knew Donald Trump’s plan to deal with illegal immigration. Most of them were also able to articulate his position on taxes.
However, Trump’s views on the Transpacific Partnership, as well as Hillary Clinton’s stance on Obamacare and illegal immigration were more than obscure to a great number of the Patriots I met.
Think you can do better? Whether you can recite the candidates’ positions and platforms by heart or you have no idea what I’ve been talking about, take our Election 2016 Policy Quiz to find out how much you actually know!
Mason Votes’ Election 2016 Policy Quiz
1. How does Donald Trump plan to deal with illegal immigration coming from Mexico?
(a) Give U.S. citizenship to all Mexican immigrants.
(b) Negotiate a treaty with Mexico establishing quotas.
(c) Build a wall.
2. How is Hillary Clinton planning to grow the economy?
(a) Reducing taxes.
(b) Investing more in infrastructure.
(c) Injecting money in the government through her foundation.
3. According to Jill Stein, should the death penalty be allowed?
(a) Yes, and every single state should resort to it.
(b) No, the death penalty should be abolished.
(c) It should be up to the states to decide.
4. Does Donald Trump think human activity is causing climate change?
(a) No.
(b) Yes.
(c) Only Chinese activity is causing climate change.
5. How would Gary Johnson create jobs?
(a) By investing in renewable energies.
(b) By increasing the government’s investment in small businesses.
(c) By eliminating corporate income tax.
6. What does Hillary Clinton want to do with Obamacare?
(a) Repeal it.
(b) Defend, fix, and expand it.
(c) Replace it with another set of reforms.
7. What is Donald Trump position on gay marriage?
(a) A constitutional amendment should be passed in order to ban gay marriage.
(b) Now that the Supreme Court has spoken, it is better to leave it that way.
(c) He would appoint justices that would reverse the Supreme Court’s decision and let states decide for themselves.
8. Regarding guns, Evan McMullin thinks that:
(a) The right to bear arms is a crucial right, but guns should be kept out of the wrong hands.
(b) The Second Amendment should be repealed and Americans should not be allowed to have guns.
(c) There should be no gun control whatsoever. Every single person, without exception, should be able to buy a gun.
9. What is Hillary Clinton’s stance on Marijuana?
(a) Legalize it nationwide through federal legislation.
(b) It is up to the states to decide whether or not they want to legalize it.
(c) It should be illegal in every single state.
10. “If I want to knock a story off the front page, I just change my hairstyle.” Who said this?
(a) Donald Trump.
(b) Gary Johnson.
(c) Hillary Clinton.
Answers: 1-C; 2-B; 3-B; 4-A; 5-C; 6-B; 7-C; 8-A; 9-B; 10-C
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