TOW #7—“Students Across America have Voted, and they Chose…” By Katie Wallace

TOW #7—“Students Across America have Voted, and they Chose…” By Katie Wallace

                Katie Wallace, writer for CNN news, published her article “Students Across America have Voted, and they Chose…” on November 1, 2016, recounting the events that occurred throughout high schools and colleges in the United States. She informs readers of the results of multiple mock elections and the statistics gathered by many college students, predicting the winner of the 2016 election and putting emphasis on the importance of the results. All in all, the mock elections put Hillary Clinton ahead by around 5% each time. While Clinton was predicted to be in the upper 40’s, Trump was predicted to be in the lower 40’s, percent-wise. This is a good indicator of who will win, her article says, because it has been accurate in the election of the five previous presidents. Wallace recounts these events, all while staying organized and trustworthy.

                Because there were multiple elections and sources, information was abundant in Wallace’s article. With so much information, it isn’t hard for readers to become confused. Wallace prevents this confusion by organizing her article with subtopics and then going deeper into a main point. She includes sections such as “Student mock election has perfect record” and “The prediction breakdown” (Wallace). By doing so, she allows the readers to not only understand more clearly, but to gain insight on the significance of these events. Her organization allows for a clearer interpretation and, thus, an understanding of what these mock elections mean.

                Though Wallace does not have any well-known experience in politics, she establishes her credibility by using a surplus of statistics and quotes. She includes quotes from students, teachers, officials involved in government, and statistic from trustworthy and well-known associations. She often uses the phrase, “according to the American Statistical Association” (Wallace) throughout the article after she identifies them as the organization which conducted the mock elections. These references to well-known people and organizations allow for a trust to be developed among the readers. It also aides the readers to understand the importance of what they are reading as commentary can be reported on from many intellectual and informed officials. Wallace’s inclusion of quotes and a surplus of statistics helps not only build her credibility, but helps show the importance of her writing as well. 

http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/01/health/students-mock-presidential-election-results/