Despite 7:30 p.m. approaching fast, Kent voters continued to pile into the United Methodist Church to cast their ballot late into the night. 

One of those voters was Lexie Norris, a freshman early education major. She came out late to vote due to her last class running until 5:30 p.m. 

Despite the late class, Norris didn’t let it deter her from voting. 

“There’s a lot at stake for this election,” she said. 

Another student who showed up late in the day was Benjamin Garcia, a sophomore computer science major. Garcia decided to prepare for an exam before focusing on voting and ended up missing the voter transportation bus. He was eventually able to catch a ride to voice his opinion. 

“Some people might think that one vote doesn’t matter, but it’s a culmination of those one votes that don’t matter that matter,” Garcia said. “I’m just doing what I can.” 

Some voters intentionally showed up late to beat any early voting rushes. Christopher Basham, a junior marketing major, was one of these voters. 

“This was my first time voting, so I didn’t know what to expect,” Basham said. “It was a quick, easy process, and it made it enjoyable.” 

Kent residents also showed up to the polls towards the end of the night. Jessica Billiter decided to wait for her husband to get off work before they both went to the polls together. 

“Just in case there were any shenanigans, I didn’t want to come by myself,” she said. 

Billiter added how she is a mom of three with two girls, and that encouraged her decision to come out and vote. 

“I’m shocked that this is the country we’re living in, so democracy is hugely important,” Billiter said. “People fought and died to have that in this country, you can’t go backwards, and I’m not willing to do that.” 

John Engoglia is a beat reporter. Contact him at [email protected].