More than 58% of registered voters in Travis County voted in Tuesday’s midterm election, according to unofficial totals from the Travis County elections website. During early voting alone, about 427,000 people cast a ballot, with over 11,000 votes cast at the Texas Union and over 7,000 votes cast at the LBJ School of Public Affairs.
This Election Day, The Daily Texan talked with students waiting in line to cast a ballot to understand what encouraged them to show up and vote.
Students could vote on campus at either the LBJ School of Public Affairs or the Union, as well as the Travis County Civil and Family Courts Facility just south of campus. On Tuesday, University Presbyterian Church and Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary were also open for voting nearby.
Journalism sophomore Haley Rives, who was in line at the Union and voted for the first time this election, said the number of available voting locations made her feel more comfortable during her first-ever voting experience.
“There’s so many places to vote here, which is really nice, and everyone’s really helpful,” Rives said. “I was just really nervous. But there’s so many people helping you and giving you guides and everything, so that was really nice.”
Students at both LBJ and the Union said they had to wait to vote, but LBJ typically had a shorter wait time. One student said that he voted at the Union and waited about 50 minutes, while another said she waited just a few minutes at LBJ.
“The line was long, but when you are in the line, when you actually click the machine to vote, you actually feel a sense of power, like you’re actually doing something to try to make a change,” said public relations freshman Christopher Ortiz, who voted for the first time at the Union.
Some said education issues encouraged them to vote this year. Ortiz and education sophomore Renata Gutierrez both shared their concerns about the current Texas public education system.
“A big factor (influencing my vote) is the overcrowding in a lot of the classrooms right now,” Gutierrez said. “Children are not getting the opportunities they should. Teachers are all quitting because of burnout and because the pay is horrific.”
Polling sites closed at 7 p.m. Tuesday, but over 7,000 people were still in line to vote across Austin at 6 p.m., according to unofficial totals from the Travis County elections website.
Theater education senior Hannah Cotten said voting is an important way for students to make their voices heard.
“It’s better to go in and vote for the things that you do know and leave things blank, than to not vote at all — because that vote is important,” Cotten said.
Senior news reporter Arianna Nevarez contributed to the reporting of this article.
