UW Oshkosh students waited up to three hours in line to cast their votes in the 2024 presidential election Nov. 5 at the Culver Family Welcome Center after the line stretched almost out the door by the time polls closed at 8 p.m.
While they waited, snacks, drinks, other voters and even celebrity cameos kept student voters occupied long enough to vote for either Democratic candidate Kamala Harris or Republican candidate Donald Trump.
At one point, a member of the crowd was able to FaceTime actress Scarlett Johansson, one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world, who encouraged voters to stay in line and vote.
Alvaro Rivera, a first-time voter, said that he was in shock when he got to talk to Johansson over the phone.
“It definitely caught me off guard,” Rivera said. “It was amazing to see such a famous actress at the polls in Oshkosh and getting to talk to her about the election. I’ll never forget that moment as long as I live.”
UWO sophomore Cooper Johnson, also a first-time voter, said that he had to wait over two hours to vote on campus.
“It was pretty chill, I got free pizza so that was nice,” Johnson said. “It probably wasn’t worth the wait. I mean, what are the odds it comes down to my one vote, you know? But it’s still cool to say that I voted because it was the first election that I was old enough (to vote in).”
Rivera, who had to wait just under two hours in line at the Culver Family Welcome Center, said that it was really cool to be able to cast his vote for the first time.
“I liked talking to people in line and meeting new people, and I guess the only thing that kind of sucked is waiting in line,” Rivera said. “But I guess I didn’t really know what to expect, because I never voted before, but overall, I thought it was an interesting experience, and I plan to vote in the next election after voting this time.”
Rivera said that people were handing out food and drinks to those in line.
“My buddy walked in, pulled out his backpack and started handing out Mountain Dews,” Rivera said. “They did some pretty cool things to kind of keep the crowd engaged and to keep people waiting in line instead of just walking away due to the long wait times.”
Johnson said he was going to vote for Trump but flipped to Harris last minute after a random number generator decided. He didn’t decide to vote until 6 p.m. Tuesday, using the election as an excuse to get out of art class early.
“I was going to vote for Trump because he’s funny and shit, and I f***** with him since 2016, but my liberal friend wanted me to vote for Kamala,” Johnson said. “I told her to pick number one or two, and she said two, and then the random number generator [I used] said two, so I voted for Kamala.”
Rivera said that he voted for Harris because of her more liberal beliefs.
“I think that what she’s representing and running for represents me and my family and the people I care about,” Rivera said. “I think she is going to make improvements with the immigration process and stuff like that, she’s also more for helping the middle and lower classes and to protect women’s right to choose for abortion.”
At press time, the Associated Press declared Trump the winner after acquiring the 270 electoral votes necessary to assume the presidency for a second term. Trump also led in the popular vote 51.2% to 47.4%.
In the race for Wisconsin’s U.S. Senate seat, Republican Eric Hovde led Democratic incumbent Tammy Baldwin 50% to 47.8%. Republican Glenn Grothman secured another term in Congress with a 62.5% to 37.5% win over Democrat John Zarbano in the race for Wisconsin’s 6th Congressional District.
Democrat Kristin Alfheim led Republican Anthony Phillips 51.8% to 48.2% in the race for Wisconsin State Senate District 18 while Republican Tim Paterson led Democratic incumbent Lori Palmeri 53.2% to 46.8%. According to AP, the proposed amendment to Wisconsin’s constitution that would state that only U.S. citizens can vote, repealing an existing provision stating that every citizen can vote, passed 71.3% to 28.7%.
For updates on election results, check advancetitan.com or on Instagram at theadvancetitan.
