DES MOINES – Thousands of elementary, middle school and high school students across Iowa participated in Secretary of State Paul Pate’s 2017 Iowa Youth Straw Poll on Wednesday. The Straw Poll is an exercise designed to inspire civic engagement among Iowa’s youth and give them a feel for how the electoral process works.

Secretary Pate said “I want to thank all the teachers, principals, and administrators who helped organize the event at their schools. This was a terrific, hands-on learning experience for thousands of Iowa students.” The goal, he said, “Is to make the experience enjoyable and hopefully propel them to be active in their community and be a consistent voter for the rest of their lives.”

Here are the Iowa Youth Straw Poll results, with the top three finishers in each category, as of 5:00 p.m. on November 1:

Should your city/town allow the sales and use of fireworks? 

YES – 76%    NO – 13%

What is your favorite school subject?

MATH – 26%        SCIENCE – 19%       SOCIAL STUDIES – 18%

What is your favorite state university in Iowa?

Iowa – 49%  Iowa State – 34%   Northern Iowa – 9%

Who is your favorite superhero?

Batman –  15%                   Wonder Woman – 12%       Spiderman – 12%

Up-to-date live results are available on the Secretary of State’s website, sos.iowa.gov.

Pictures submitted by teachers and a full list of the schools participating in the Youth Straw Poll are available at Elections101.org/BeAVoter.