With Election Day less than a day away, we’re well and truly into crunch time to get our votes submitted. Early voting, which has been going on for as many as 45 days in some states, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, has seen record turnouts: Just three days before the election, we’d already surpassed 2/3 of the ballots cast in the 2016 election. But reports of hours-long waits poured in. We talked to several members of the Her Campus community, to find out what the in-person voting experience has really been like. Were lines really that long? Did voters feel safe? Here’s what they had to say about where they voted.
It was pretty simple for me, and I was in and out in about 30 minutes. I felt safe voting, but it was more from the poll workers than the other voters. Everyone wore masks, but not everyone abided by the safe distance markings when waiting in line. – Cara Chiaramonte, Director, Community, Tampa FL
It was my first time voting in a presidential election and I was so excited! It took me less than five minutes with the short lines! I honestly couldn’t believe how simple it was! – Chantal Canales, Baylor, Dallas TX
I went to Fenway Park on the very first day and waited an hour to vote. The line went all the way around the stadium gates, but the process was fairly seamless, they had distanced tables for voting and gave everyone their own pens, gluesticks (to seal the ballots cleanly), etc. I personally missed the point about getting a pen from someone and just used the pen on the table, only to find I was supposed to be give a new clean one, a reminder of, “Oh yeah, I’m voting in a pandemic and probably shouldn’t have touched that.” It was very crowded, felt very high energy, and it was very meaningful to vote in Fenway. It felt like waiting in line at a Disney ride – the polls being where you get buckled in, then you exit the loud crowded poll route to a quiet BEAUTIFUL view of Fenway park. It felt like the end of Splash Mountain after the crash. – Danielle Kushner, Team Manager, New Business & Sales Strategy, Boston, MA
Because this election was so important to me, I knew it would be more special to vote in-person and to have the full experience, so I walked to City Hall a week before November 3. I was totally prepared to stand in line, out in the cold for as long as I might have needed to – I had a winter hat on, mittens in my bag, a portable charger, a granola bar and my headphones – but, luckily, it only took about 30 minutes. When I turned in my ballot and got my “I voted” sticker, there was a group of fellow voters and poll workers who applauded as I walked out, congratulating me and thanking me for making the right decision to vote. It was an entirely emotional moment, and I felt that having that moment in person was something that I’ll never forget. Any time in the future that I can vote early and vote in-person, I’ll definitely be doing so! – Emily Murphy, Business Development Associate, Boston, MA
It was super easy! There was no wait and it felt good to no longer have the stress of voting on my chest. – Grace Feuchter, JMU, Harrisonburg VA
It was my first time voting in a presidential election and I knew even during the pandemic I wanted to make the effort to go in person and really make a moment out of it, because I’ve been waiting to vote since the US declined after Trump was elected in 2016. We got there about an hour in and the line was down and around the corner, across the next street and it just kept going. It took an hour and 20 minutes for us to get through the line and vote. We got hand sanitizer at the door, and people in the line were all at least six feet apart. My mom has always voted at that location and said she’d never had to stand in line, even on Election Day! It was overall an amazing experience. – Isabelle L’Huillier, UMass Amherst, Boston, MA
It was a great experience. Though there were long waits all around (some recorded 2+ hours!), the wait times reduced as the week went on. I waited for one hour on a socially distanced line. Everyone was wearing masks, and they offered hand sanitizer to everyone walking in and again on the way out. Really felt it couldn’t have been easier! – Joanna Palumbo, Vice President, Sales Planning & Strategy, Westchester, NY
I had tried to go three times, and the line was over two hours long even in the rain. I finally went right before the polls closed one evening and there was no line. It was extremely safe, and we were forced to sanitize before and after. – Joely Pasetsky, FIT, Pound Ridge, NY
We wanted to vote in Fenway Park but the line was too long, so I voted in the Seaport – I just happened to walk by and see that there was early voting available. It only took about five minutes! It felt safe COVID wise. – Kara Wright, UMass Amherst, Boston, MA
I waited for about two and a half hours outside in a line that was wrapped around a few buildings. Everyone was keeping six feet apart and 95% of the people were wearing masks. I felt safe while waiting since everyone was being respectful of the guidelines. Once we got inside the building, they called you up one by one to check in, then called you to the voting booth and wiped it down between each person. There was even hand sanitizer by the door on the way out. I was super impressed all around! – Kathleen Kamphausen, Photo Editor, New Orleans, LA
I waited in line outside for about 15 minutes, but it went fast – the line looked like it would take a lot longer than it did. End to end the process was about 30 minutes. They had gloves, hand sanitizer, personal pens, and the floor was taped with where to stand to stay distanced. The poll workers were so friendly, and I was surprised to see no petitioners anywhere outside, although some people did drive by screaming “Trump” at one point while I was waiting in line. Otherwise everything was really calm, and it was a great experience! – Katrina Campanale, Vice President, Sales and Business Development, Boston, MA
I voted in person about a week ago! It was super easy – I went to my university and waited about an hour and a half (because of the line, voting itself only took ten minutes). Everyone was eight feet apart and they had hand sanitizer stations everywhere. I felt so safe! – Mollie Guerrero, UCF, Orlando FL
I went to my usual location, which had no wait back in 2016 and 2018. This year, I had to wait about an hour and a half. I asked a poll worker about it and she said people were lined up outside at 6am and that she had never seen anything like it! The voting process itself was easy and quick! – Nicole Wills, UCF, Sanford, FL
It was pretty busy – parking was difficult to find and the lines were long – but I was so glad to actually see people out voting! – Olivia Lawrence, VCU, Richmond, VA
I arrived with my laptop, expecting to log on and get some work done while I waited in line, but I walked right in and was immediately checked in by a poll worker and directed to the closest empty booth. Everyone was masked and there was hand sanitizer at every station. When I left, there was a line of maybe twenty people waiting to get in. They were a little closer than they probably should have been, but again, everyone was masked so I didn’t mind having to walk by them to leave! – Sammi Burke, Associate Lifestyle Editor, Boston, MA
It was a quick and easy process. There was social distancing and masks required. It was as simple as any other time voting, and only took me about 20 minutes! – Scotlin Francis, SMU, Dallas, TX
Overall, while line lengths have certainly varied, the HC community has felt both safe and rewarded by voting in person. If you’ve been on the fence about voting due to polling conditions, let these voters be the inspiration you need to get yourself out to the polls on November 3!
Responses have been edited for length and clarity.