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TRUMP WINS: HHS students favor Republican nominee

Trump fans cheered the outcome when their candidate won the electoral college during HHS's annual symposium.

By Bill Moss, Published: November 4, 2016

We'll have to wait four more days to find out how the nation votes. But we know now how the Bearcat Nation voted: for Donald J. Trump.

Hendersonville High School wrapped up its annual symposium week with its quadrennial enactment of the electoral college — the state-by-state voting that decides the presidential election.

U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows praised the students for their enthusiasm and conducted the rollcall of states, from smallest to largest, to deliver their presidential choice. The map behind the congressman held surprises that would shock the pollsters. Deep-blue California and New York both went for Trump while solid red Texas cast its electoral votes for Libertarian Gary Johnson. When California's electoral votes went for Trump, the Republican nominee vaulted to 289 electoral college votes, defeating Clinton, who had 186, and Johnson, with 63. The strong contingent of Trump supporters roared.

"We had a whole week where we went over the issues, we let them debate the issues, we looked at the platforms of both sides," said U.S. history teacher and department chair Alan Broadhurst. "We wanted it to be them and not their parents."

Jerry Smith and Broadhurst described this year's presidential election symposium as one of the most enthusiastic, with lots of passion on either side.

"That's the best one I've seen since I've been here," Broadhurst said.

Teachers randomly assigned students to states and also allowed them to vote individually. Trump also took the popular vote, 48 to 40 percent over Clinton, with 12 percent for Johnson.