BARSEMA ALUMNI AND VISITORS CENTER POLLING PLACE
As the polling station approached closing time at 7 p.m., the Barsema Alumni and Visitors Center was still hopping with voters and citizens hoping to become registered voters.
Tasha Sims, the DeKalb county clerk, has been stunned by the number of unregistered voters coming to polling stations across the county to register on Election Day.
“My goal (during Election Days) is always to try to get around to all the 39 polling places in the county. And I generally can do that. This one I have barely got to many. Yeah, it has, it has been busy,” Sims said. “So I will be very interested to see that, this has got to be a huge turnout. ”
The large number of voters isn’t actually the reason for the crowds at the polling stations, however.
“Voting doesn’t take very long,” Sims said. “When you’re registered, you go in, give them your name. It’s a pretty quick process, and the line moves very quickly. Registration, it takes a while. You have to show two forms of ID. We write it down. They have to then wait in another line to get it entered into the computer, and then they can go in and get their ballot. So it’s just a little longer of a process which then creates lines.”
Sims encouraged voters to be patient and consider registering early in future elections.
“Please in the future, if you, even if you change dorm rooms or apartments, you do have to re-register. Very easy process. You can go online, and it just makes Election Day better, easier for the judges and easier for the students,” Sims said.
Kysh Williams, a junior business management major at NIU, was one such unlucky student and left the BAVC after discovering she needed to be at a separate voting station because of her address. Despite the obstacles, Williams felt eager to vote.
“I feel like people forget that we have a voice and that, like, they feel like, ‘Oh, if I vote, it’s not gonna matter,’” Williams said. “But like, every little vote does matter, and for the majority of people who aren’t voting, that’s making a choice for like, maybe something that could potentially impact you that you don’t want, and you don’t realize it.”
Even with the crowd, Sims and the other election workers at the BAVC were excited to help voters cast their ballots. Rukisha Crawford has worked as an election official for several years and is yet to lose enthusiasm for the cause.
“I love just dedicating my time to my community. I love advocating for my community as well. It’s all about my community. Today, I feel, is going really well. We had a big turnout. We are already at over 300 voters for today,” Crawford said. “It’s been a fun day!”
WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH POLLING PLACE
With polls in Illinois for the 2024 general election closing at 7 p.m., the number of voters at the Westminster Presbyterian Church decreased. The weather was cold, wet and damp, as it rained throughout the day Tuesday.
Voters went to the church to cast their final votes, and lines were not particularly long.
DaRue Smith, a DeKalb resident, explained his reason for voting.
“If I’m being honest, I really don’t personally believe voting makes that big of a change, but I wanted to get out of the house,” Smith said.
Smith also said the process of voting at the church was hectic.
“It was hectic as s—. I voted one time when I was in high school back in my hometown, and it was so much cleaner than this. This was just ridiculous. Not that people were unorganized, but it was just, like, it was a whole lot,” Smith said.
AFTERNOON UPDATE
WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH POLLING PLACE
While rain showers continue to pour, the number of voters at the Westminster Presbyterian Church polling station increases, as DeKalb residents remain eager to cast their vote Tuesday.
DeKalb resident Marty Johnson says this is the most crowded she’s ever seen the local polling stations.
“Oh, I would never not vote today. This is a right that I take very seriously. Blessed to live in a place where we can do it, so I’ve definitely always, I’m never going to miss an election,” Johnson said. “But I’ve never seen it so crowded! There are so many people here who are just registering now, such a long line, which is awesome to see.”
Delores Reed, also a DeKalb resident, has been voting for decades and emphasizes the importance of a presidential race.
“I wanted to make sure that we get the right person being president,” Reed said. “I’ve been voting here since I was 18 years old. I’m 71 now.”
Voting is a right Reed feels shouldn’t be taken for granted.
“It’s important to get out here and voice your opinion on everything because back in the time, back, we weren’t able to vote,” Reed said. “So, we should get out there and vote.”
There’s a range of issues on the minds of DeKalb voters today.
DeKalb resident Alexis Gordon is another second-time voter and identified women’s rights as an issue that motivated her to vote.
“I think it’s (voting in the election’s) important for women’s rights, especially today,” Gordon said. “That’s honestly, like, the main reason for me. But I think it’s important for everybody to vote who can, because not everybody has the ability to vote.”
Another DeKalb resident and long-time voter Rachel Hunley shared how she views the country’s economics as the most important issue in this election.
“I would have to say the economy and how much stuff costs,” Hunley said. “All the other stuff, I have my own opinion … but my opinion on those other things doesn’t matter. But I would have to say economy.”
Through the whirlwind of rain and political ideologies, DeKalb resident Jeremy Nelson wants to see a change for the better.
“I’m voting to spark change,” Nelson said. “I feel like, if every candidate prioritized people’s emotions and concerns, it’d be a win for everybody.”
BARSEMA ALUMNI AND VISITORS CENTER POLLING PLACE
Voters trudged through intensifying rainfall and wind as they made their way to the polls at Barsema Alumni and Visitors Center on Tuesday afternoon.
“I had to wait in the super long line for like an hour,” said sophomore marketing major and first-time voter Uriel Pedroza.
Pedroza explained the importance of remaining optimistic and voting, regardless of the outcome.
“I think people are very doom and gloom about it, they go like, ‘Oh, we’re going to die, nothing even matters, like voting isn’t important,’ but I feel like, at least trying to do something about it is important. Even if it’s not the outcome that you want, just knowing that you did what you could is good,” Pedroza said.
Another first-time voter Caitie Cassello, a junior marketing major, expressed the value of voting.
“I think everyone should vote, no matter if you know a lot about politics or not, just do a little bit of research and decide who you vote for. It’s your right, and I think you should express your right,” Cassello said. Cassello
Like Pedroza, Cassello experienced a long registration line.
“The wait was extremely long, really really long,” Cassello said. “After you got registered, it was really really quick, but it was just the registration. They were taking, like, one person every 20 minutes.”
When asked what the most important issue was, Cassello said, “Even though we are in a safe blue state, I would say abortion rights.”
First-time voter and undecided first-year Evan Hume also emphasized the importance of voting.
“I’m voting because every single vote matters, no matter how you look at it. It’s just better to vote than to not vote because no matter what you think, your opinion does matter,” Hume said.
More than NIU students were able to vote at the Barsema Alumni and Visitors Center.
“This is a democracy; it’s my privilege to vote. I vote in every election; it would never occur to me not to vote,” said Kate McCabe, a DeKalb resident.
When asked what the most important issue was, McCabe answered, “the continued survival of our democracy.”
MORNING UPDATE
The weather was rainy and the scene was quiet at the polling places at Barsema Alumni and Visitor Center and Westminster Presbyterian Church on Tuesday morning.
BARSEMA ALUMNI AND VISITOR CENTER POLLING PLACE
Erin Barker, a sophomore journalism major, is a returning voter, previously voting in the 2020 general election.
“My first time voting was in 2020, so right when the pandemic happened. I remember everybody was distanced and it was a long line, and I still made a choice to have my voice heard,”, Barker said.
Barker said she appreciates the opportunity to vote.
“As messed up as this country is, we have the freedom and privilege to vote, and for women to vote to have our voices heard because not a lot of countries can do that,” Barker said.
Barker also reflected on the tense nature of this election and wanted to calm people’s fears about voting.
“It’s a really scary time, I hope no one gets hurt. I hope no one gets injured or anything, but intimidation doesn’t scare me at all,” Barker said.
Michelle Gutierrez, a junior political science major, described her experiences voting for the first time.
“There were no lines, it was just in and out. They were really helpful with directing where to go and what to do. I didn’t do the written one, I did the electronic one. It was pretty self-explanatory,” Gutierrez said.
Gutierrez explained what motivated her to vote as a political science major.
“It’s good to get out there to vote just to see what kind of an impact, especially for the younger generation, since we can vote now starting at 18, I feel like it’s really necessary to go out and vote,” Gutierrez said.
Isaac Arellano, a junior history major, had some difficulties at the polling place as it was his first time voting.
“They said I had to go to a different location to be able to register and vote,” Arellano said.
Arellano felt somewhat dismayed, but not too inconvenienced, as he could register to vote at a local Baptist church.
“It’s not too hard, just a five minute drive to go register to vote. Hopefully, it’s not a long line,” Arellano said.
WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH POLLING PLACE
The crowd was not large enough to accumulate a waiting line, but enough voters came to the polls to keep the back parking lot half full throughout the morning.
Among the crowd was DeKalb resident Annie Kordesh, who was eager to make her selections.
“I’m a regular voter,” Kordesh said. “I never miss an election. I’m excited to vote!”
Kordesh urged others to come to the polls and make their voice heard.
“No matter what, they (potential voters) need to say what they need to say and be responsible for what’s going on around them,” Kordesh said. “Voting is part of that.”
The state of the economy brought some voters to the polls, such as DeKalb resident Nate Glass.
“I’m voting just because of the state we’re in, the country, tax-wise, inflation-wise, the economy – for the future,” Glass said.
Xavier Phillips, a junior business marketing major, said he came to the polls to help others.
“Usually I’m just not a person who votes, but, for me, it’s more of thinking about others instead of thinking about myself,” Phillips said. “So, that’s why I was like ‘you know what, I should voice my opinion.’ Even if nothing benefits me, it can definitely benefit other people.”
Phillips noted that it was an easy process to fill his ballot.
“When you walk in there, they’re always willing to help you figure everything out,” Phillips said. “So, it was super easy just to go in there and have them help you.”
