WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — On Thursday, Oct. 24, Purdue University held its first and only voting site on campus for this year’s election. The polling location was open for six hours at the France A. Córdova Recreational Sports Center.
Voters were met with long lines as hundreds came out to cast their ballots.
Before the polls even opened, voting advocates got to work by spreading the message to students to cast their ballots.
"We wanted to raise awareness of voting and that we are having early voting today here at the Co-Rec,” said Lisa Dullum, a Tippecanoe County councilor.
Initially, the Tippecanoe County Election Board said they couldn't find a campus location that met the requirements. They then reversed course and allowed one day of early voting, but no polling locations on Election Day.
"In such an important election like this, not having voting on campus on Election Day is really a big disappointment,” Dullum said.
“I'm glad that we at least got this for early voting, but it would be nice to get something on Election Day as well,” said Henry Lund-Mikkelsen, who is a student at Purdue and joined the march.
Like many students, Lund-Mikkelsen is a first-time voter.
He joined hundreds who got in line early Thursday morning. Some said they waited more than an hour to cast their ballot.
“It wasn't too terribly long, but then when I got inside, I was like, ‘Oh there's more.’ It kept wrapping around,” said Gwen Brubaker, a Purdue sophomore.
The line brought mixed reactions from others like Susan Rowe.
“I feel bad. You walk in and think, ‘Well, I'm either going to wait in this line and miss class or I'm going to leave.’ So, I don't like that, but I'm also thankful so many students and faculty are taking advantage of this opportunity,” Rowe said.
Even with a short window to vote, Boilermakers found a way to do their civic duty and are now hoping for more polling choices in the future.
"I would rather that this be open for more than just today,” said Davis Avera, a Purdue Senior.
"I would've liked a couple more options. I think that would've been helpful,” Brubaker said.
You can find other Tippecanoe County voting locations here.
