DeKALB — Voters trickled into the Barsema Alumni and Visitors Center Tuesday to make their voices heard by casting their ballots for the 2020 general election. 

Voting began at 6 a.m. for all polling locations across DeKalb County and will run until 7 p.m. Tuesday. The Barsema Alumni and Visitors Center stood quiet Tuesday afternoon as there were no lines of voters waiting to cast their ballots. 

Sharon Carlson, senior psychology and music major, said she came to vote because it’s one of the most important ways a citizen can use their voice.

“I voted because I wanted to use my voice for people [who] can’t,” Carlson said. “I just think that everybody’s vote is so important, especially now, making sure that we can lead our country in the direction that we want it to go.” 

Many students showed up at the Holmes Student Center looking to cast their ballot but were redirected to their designated precinct by volunteers. The Holmes Student Center was removed as a registration site by DeKalb County Clerk Doug Johnson weeks prior to the election.

Residents Claire Duvall and Mel Duvall volunteered on behalf of Indivisible DeKalb to help redirect students from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. They over 10 students showed up in the first 30 minutes looking to vote.

“They’re all accustomed to coming here and voting,” Mel said. “They’re trying to do that today, but this isn’t a polling place today.” 

Claire said they’re also letting students know what they need to vote and where their designated polling place is DeKalb is to prevent further election mix-ups. 

Jordan Doss-Watson, sophomore business administration major, said Tuesday’s election was the first time she ever voted and was glad she was able to cast her ballot in-person.

“I came out to express my freedom to vote,” Doss-Watson said. “I had issues with my registration process and I meant to vote earlier, so today was my last option.” 

Other students such as sophomore sociology major Charlene Parrish came out to vote because their parents insisted that they do.

“To be honest, my parents begged me to come out to vote today,” Parrish said. “I didn’t know today was the last day to vote and my dad made me come up to vote.” 

Luis Santos-Rivas, director of the Latino Resource Center, and Isis Hernandez, a graduate research assistant at the Latino Resource Center, volunteered at the Barsema Alumni and Visitor’s Center Tuesday to help direct traffic. They said a majority of the voters who came in were students.

“We just wanted to help out the community,” Hernandez said. “Voting is really important and by us being here, it gives students a familiar face when they arrive to vote.”