The talk with Glenn Althschuler was very enlightening and entertaining. While at college many of us get detached from the real world, we have a harder time keeping up with current news and politiccs. Because of this detachment, and the extra effort needed to cast a vote many students do not end up voting. Prof. Althschuler’s reminded us the importance of voting and the importance of this midterm election. His insight, with statistical backing was extremely interesting, for every statement he made he had some statistics to back it up. Also, it was very interesting how he predicted the outcome of elections based on just a few races.
Overall, I enjoyed the talk a lot. Prof. Althschuler’s humor and political insight was a nice break from my mundane school week. However he did make me a feel a little dispirited when I left, as he reminded that there are still a lot of changes needed for our democratic system to work properly. But all those changes will only start from our votes. So go out and vote! (and if you can’t go and vote at your polling location make sure to request your absentee ballot!)
If you are interested in finding out more statistics and predictions about the election Prof. Althschuler told us about the following website: FiveThirtyEight – Nate Silver’s Predictions
Although I did not attend this event, it sounds like Professor Altschuler was very engaging in his discussion about US elections and politics. As a student who studies data and statistics almost every day, I appreciate how, as you stated, Professor Altschuler took a statistical approach to his discussion about elections, especially since polling and predictions have become an important part of our political system in the US. Thank you for also emphasizing the importance of voting. Getting involved in the democratic process is vital in holding elected officials accountable for their behaviors and decisions, so the importance of voting and being politically active cannot be over stated.