President George W. Bush is narrowly ahead of Democratic candidate John Kerry, according to a poll conducted by NIU Professor Barbara Burrell’s POLS 304 class Oct. 5 through Oct. 11.

The student-run poll showed that 508 random DeKalb County residents are split practically right down the middle when it comes to the upcoming presidential election.

The poll showed Bush ahead of Kerry by 3.8 percentage points. Bush received 44.7 percent of the vote, Kerry received 40.9 percent and the rest were undecided or planned on voting for a third party. The poll had a margin of error of 4.4 percentage points, meaning candidates could statistically score 4.4 percentage points higher or lower than reported.

“The election is very close; DeKalb County is traditionally Republican, but many of the undecided voters had the same views as prospective Kerry voters,” Burrell said.

The students asked prospective voters questions such whom they were planning to vote for, how certain they are about their vote and how important a role the vice presidential candidates play in his or her decision.

The poll showed that Kerry supporters feel the economy is in bad shape and are more concerned with the war in Iraq, Burrell said, while Bush supporters are more concerned with the war on terrorism.

The voters were also asked how certain they were about their vote on Nov. 2, with 89 percent saying they were absolutely certain they will vote for who they are leaning toward currently, Burrell said. This election promises to be a close one, she said.

Students also polled DeKalb County voters about their feelings on the upcoming U.S. Senate elections.

The Senate poll showed Democratic candidate Barack Obama is ahead with 61 percent of the vote, compared to Republican Alan Keyes’ 18 percent.

“I think the students got a lot out of it; they learned how to administer polls and calculate all the results together,” Burrell said.

The complete results of the poll are available on the Web at www.niu.edu/PubAffairs/Releases/2004/oct/poll_files/frame.htm.