Polling stations for Northwestern students opened to first-time voters and veterans alike on Election Day. Throughout the day, students filed in and out of Parkes Hall and Noyes Cultural Arts Center to cast their vote in the general election.
Medill freshman Luluya Tekle said she was excited to be a first-time voter, especially because she will be the first in her family to vote.
Tekle said abortion is an issue she is “not willing to compromise on,” which motivated her to vote.
“I’ve been hearing a lot of people say (this election is) like choosing the lesser of two evils,” Tekle said. “Even though it’s not a good choice either way and there’s going to be an outcome either way, so make sure you have an impact on that outcome.”
Communication freshman Creighton Smith-Allaire said he voted absentee in his home state of Kansas for the first time. He said he has been looking forward to voting for quite some time.
Initially, when President Joe Biden dropped out and Kamala Harris took over, Smith-Allaire said he was worried about the future of the country and the Democratic party. However, when Harris gained traction in the weeks following, Smith-Allaire said he felt much more encouraged about her chances of winning.
“(Voting) is a civic duty, a responsibility as an American,” Smith-Allaire said. “Especially with what we saw with (Donald) Trump as president, I wanted a voice in my government.”
Weinberg sophomore Meazi Light-Orr said though she is thrilled to vote, her excitement is tinged with concern about a possible second Trump term.
Light-Orr said she was excited to vote in her first election. She registered in Evanston so she could vote in person instead of sending an absentee ballot to her home in Los Angeles.
“Watching the (Barack) Obama speech at the (Democratic National Convention) was a moment of ‘Oh, this isn’t the end of the world,’ and it’s less bleak than at some points early on,” Light-Orr said.
Medill sophomore Gabe Shumway said he voted in Illinois for the first time on Tuesday after previously voting in his home state of Massachusetts.
Shumway said the ongoing climate crisis and economy were important issues that motivated him to vote for Harris.
“There’s a sense of unease for the future, but we must stay positive,” he said.
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