An Owasso barbershop's poll mirrors Oklahoma's election results

Most of us have to wait until all the votes are counted to know who wins in politics or you could have just asked Dean and Jean Brown of Owasso. <br/><br/>For weeks before the election, they asked customers

Thursday, November 4th 2004, 10:07 am

By: News On 6

Most of us have to wait until all the votes are counted to know who wins in politics or you could have just asked Dean and Jean Brown of Owasso.

For weeks before the election, they asked customers at their barbershop to cast ballots. Thursday, News on 6 anchor Craig Day found out how the barbershop poll turned out.

At Dean's barbershop in Owasso, there is still plenty of talk about the election. Most folks know the results of the races. Now much of the political talk centers around how Dean and Jean's vote turned out.

Jean Brown: "There was a big interest this year. Really big interest." Each presidential election year, dating back to 1984, Dean and Jean Brown ask customers to vote. Ballots are stuffed into a mayonnaise jar and later counted.

Each time, it has predicted Oklahoma's vote. Dean Brown: "The thing that I think makes it work is that we do have such diversity to the people that come in."

Dean and Jean say even folks who don't get their hair cut at the barbershop have stopped by here since Election Day. They want to know how the barbershop polling turned out.

In the presidential race, 66% of Oklahomans voted for George Bush. In the barbershop poll, 58% supported the President.

In the US Senate race it was much closer, 53% of Oklahomans voted for Coburn.
At Dean's barbershop, it was 52%.

The Indian gaming compact got support from 59% of Oklahomans. Barbershop customers gave it 62%.

And on the lottery question, 65% of Oklahomans voted for it. 62% in the barber poll.

Dean Brown: "We had several guys come in and talk about well you already got yours out and they still haven't decided in some places."

As for Dean and Jean, they say they aren't surprised by the results and they look forward to doing it again in four years.

Also in the barbershop poll, in the race for US President and US Senate, "none of the above" and "someone else" ran a distant third and fourth.