Updated: 10:18 p.m. CST
Departing from the statewide trends in Missouri, Washington University students overwhelmingly voted for Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) and Senator John McCain (D-AZ), according to exit polls conducted by Student Life.
The Missouri primary is currently too close to call, however with almost half of precincts reporting, Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and Senator McCain are leading in the state’s Super Tuesday contests.
In data from exit polls conducted by Student Life within three precincts in which University students vote, Senator Obama received 80 percent of the vote in the Democratic contest and Senator McCain received 60 percent of the vote in the Republican contest.
Senator Clinton garnered 20 percent of the votes among University students, despite initial statewide data that suggests Clinton leads in Missouri.
Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney brought in 25 percent of the student vote, while initial statewide data suggests that Romney will finish third.
Throughout the election, Senator Obama has drawn media attention for the sustained support he has received from young voters-a group traditionally thought to be politically apathetic.
“Young people have really woken up over these past four years,” said Tamia Booker, the campus events manager at the Center for American Progress. “So many things have happened and changed and young people have become more interested and more progressive.”
Despite the relatively lackluster support for other candidates among University voters, nationwide all presidential candidates have enjoyed support from a new generation of voters.
“I think that what Senator Obama did is really start the trend in terms of paying attention to young voters,” said Booker. “He did get a large turnout in Iowa, but when you go to New Hampshire you get a large turnout for Senator Clinton.”
Check back throughout the night for more updates.