“If you could vote…”

What if Italians could (as “citizens of the world”) vote in the American elections today? Who would they vote for? Would McCain’s foreign policy experience win them over, or would Obama’s charisma and youthful energy be a draw? To find out just that, the Umbra Institute is taking part in a project organized by the Arcadia University Center for Education Abroad in Italy. The project, coordinated by Tina Rocchio (Arcadia’s resident director in Rome), puts ballot boxes in Italian cafés and pizzerias with the phrase “Se potessi votare…” (If you could vote...), along with small “ballots” printed with the campaign stickers of the two candidates. The two Umbra students coordinating the “vote” in Perugia are Ashley Waterman and Raquel Silano, both of whom will be busy tomorrow morning tallying up the votes. The results will be turned over to Newsweek, which is doing a story on the project.