Obama wins!!

As balloons dropped from the ceiling and were stomped by exiting students, Western Hall was filled with what sounded like fireworks. It marked the only sense of excitement in the air, as the MPE voting ended in a swift anti-climax.

Associate Professor John Hemingway stood on the stage, reading voting results that were as simple as this: "_______ (your state here) Obama."

Obama won by a landslide.

But there was no rushing of the stage by Obama supporters. The only direction people were rushing in was toward the exit. That is, as soon as they marked their name on attendance sheets.

It feels like the MPE was quite a success, whether or not the political spirit has rubbed off on many students or not.

As far as the MPE's ability to predict a winner in 2008's U.S. Presidential election, only time will tell if Obama's campaign can "Barack the Vote" from WIU's Mock Election President to the White House.