Elisa Pozywio said she typically likes coming to vote on Election Day instead of early voting because the day is filled with excitement and the lines are shorter, and with two kids in a stroller, the shorter the better.
Pozywio said she has voted every year since she turned 18, but this year felt different than others.
“This year definitely felt even more important,” Pozywio said. “I think just with the climate that the world is in right now, every vote really matters. It’s a special honor to be able to make a difference.”
A first-time voter, Sydney, who declined to give a last name, said voting for the first time Tuesday was exciting for her, noting that her vote was “definitely fueled by hatred.”
“I was coming out specifically for women’s rights,” Sydney said. “When it comes down to contraceptives, abortion and I wanted the transparency in wage gaps again, which is huge for me … I basically focused this one on us.”
Gary
Several voters said the presidential race motivated them to come to the polls Tuesday, even though there’s a pivotal $72.1 million school referendum on the ballot.
At the Tolleston Pavilion, which houses two precincts, Reginald Edwards said it’s time for a change in leadership.
“The presidential election is in the forefront of everybody’s mind…. It seems like the democratic process is being challenged from within.
“We have to take advantage of the voting right we have that people have died for.”
Quentin Transou said he values his right to vote.
“I’ll exercise it. Trump’s got to go. He got everything all screwed up.”
Inside, poll workers said there was a morning line but it subsided. “It’s been pretty steady and there have been no problems,” said Monica Goshay, a judge. She said people were using the personal protection equipment provided through the federal coronavirus relief act.
Highland
Denise Chapman, 62, of Highland, a retired secretary, voted again for Donald Trump, she said.
She felt Biden blamed the pandemic on Trump. The shrinking middle class also influenced her vote, as she and her husband found it hard to save for retirement.
“We want to leave something to our kids,” she said.
Sarah Gallegos, 33, of Highland, an occupational therapist, who is Black, said Trump got things done, was better on jobs and reopening society.
“I feel like he’s done the most for our country,” she said, later adding, “I’m so against politicians.”
Schererville
At Schererville Town Hall, at least 40 people showed up as polls opened, poll inspector Raymond Haddad said.
By 9 a.m. Tuesday the line had mostly disappeared. Longer lines had been probably cut down by early voting, said Alex Gorman, 25, canvassing outside for the local Democrats. It would likely pick up around lunch and by 4 p.m., he said.
“A lot of people saw early voting and assumed election day was like that,” he said.
Russ Long, 58, of Schererville, a sheet metal worker, said he voted for Joe Biden. Trump has divided the country and has “tried to fire” anyone that has disagreed with him, he said.
“He’s trying to be an authoritarian figure,” he said.
Valparaiso High School
Shortly before the polls opened at 6 a.m. Tuesday, around 50 people lined up outside Valparaiso High School in the slowly growing daylight, bundled up against the morning chill, biding their time looking at their cellphones and sipping out of travel mugs.
The group included Austin Atterbury, 20, a junior at Valparaiso University majoring in high school math education. He voted in the mid-term elections two years ago but was selecting a president for the first time.
“It’s a very exciting experience for the first time to make a major decision like this,” he said, adding he hoped to vote early on Monday but arrived an hour too late. “You get a better experience coming in the day of with the lines. Anticipations are high.”
Crown Point
Gavin Stuckey grabbed a sticker as he exited the Lake County Fairgrounds polling place in Crown Point. It was the first time the 18-year-old voted.
Stuckey said his mother encouraged him to vote and he wanted to cast his ballot because he understands how important it is.
“It’s very exciting,” Stuckey said of voting in such a significant election. The teen said he has known for a long time which of the candidates he supports.
“I feel very happy to be a part of this. It definitely makes me feel important,” Stuckey said.
St. John
Micheal Mersereau, 18, of St. John was casting his first ballot at the Lake Center High School polling location. He was joined by his mom, Amber.
“It’s pretty exciting,” Micheal Mersereau said.
Amber Mersereau said the importance of voting was instilled in her by her father, and she wants her children to share that commitment. She remembers going to vote at 18 for the first time with her father. Micheal’s older brother, who is 19, also will be voting for the first time this election.
“This is kind of exciting,” Micheal Mersereau said. “There are a lot of younger kids getting more involved. It’s cool being part of something huge. Every vote counts, right? I feel like I should do my part.”
Joel Montgomery of Dyer was voting at Lake Central High School. The self-described conservative said he was casting his vote in an effort to end the divisiveness that has overtaken the country.
“I’m usually pretty conservative but I voted straight Democrat this time,” Montgomery said.
He blames a lack of leadership in Washington on unnecessary deaths due to coronavirus.
“Leadership matters,” he said.
Calumet Township
At the Calumet Township multipurpose center on West 41st Avenue in Gary, Charles Carter decided to celebrate his birthday by casting his vote.
The choice wasn’t a symbolic thing as much as it was he didn’t have big plans for the day, the 28-year-old Calumet Township resident said. But that didn’t make his reasons for voting any less meaningful.
“I’m pretty young, but I’m at the point where taxes are a significant thing and who our judges are,” he said. “This was my third time voting — the first time was Obama in 2012 — so I look at today as an opportunity to stand in solidarity with the broader community.”
Kayleh Bannon, 27 and also of Calumet Township, said she hedged her bets and came out Tuesday to vote because with all the early voting, the chances were better for shorter lines. She too hadn’t voted since Obama, and she said it’s not a mistake she’ll make again.
“I had a lot to learn,” she said. “Things were going so well under Obama, so I didn’t worry about it. Now, I understand that in order to be the change, you have to get out and vote consistently.”
Merrillville
There was no long line of anxious voters and no one waiting outside handing out literature while urging people to vote for a specific candidate at Miller Elementary School in Merrillville late Tuesday morning.
Voters came in individually, or in couples, all able to walk right in, cast their vote and leave in a matter of minutes.
But Gaylin Dorris, inspector for Merrillville Precinct 01, said that was not an indication of how the morning went, or how she expected the day to finish.
“We already had a pretty good turnout. We started this morning with 16 people in line, and already are at 162 votes,” Dorris said.
“There’s been a larger turnout today than in past elections,” Dorris said.
Resident Darlene Reynolds attributed the lack of a crowd to the time of day, not a lack of interest.
“It’s the reason why I came at this time,” she said of the time, just before noon. “If there’s a change coming, it will come. I’m just going to add my voice with my little vote to keep it moving,”
Hobart
At The Rock Church in Hobart, a strong, steady stream of voters arrived during lunch hour to cast their ballots at one of the three precincts inside. All of the voters who were asked said it was the presidential race that brought them to the polls.
“The president,” said Desiree and Ricardo Cedeno, who cast their votes for Trump.
“The others don’t affect my day-to-day life, except we do have three kids in school,” said Ricardo Cedeno, a retired Marine.
“I came for the Trump-Biden race. I’m for Biden,” said Jaime Derrington after casting her vote.
But Terry Butler and Frank Porras stood outside the church, reminding voters that there was another election at stake on Tuesday besides the presidential race and asking for their vote.
Butler, the incumbent president, and Porras, a first-time candidate, were among seven individuals seeking three seats on the School City of Hobart Board of Trustees.
Liberty Township
At Liberty Intermediate School in Liberty Township, a small crowd outside the building around 1 p.m. belied the line snaking around the entranceway and into the auditorium.
Outside, Eric and Kim Schwartz waited in line with grandson Jameson, 1, in tow in a red wagon.
Eric Schwartz said he votes in every presidential election, though he doesn’t keep up to speed enough on local issues to vote in municipal races.
“If you don’t speak your opinion, you’re stuck whether you like it or not,” he said, adding whether you want the same officials or a change, without voting, “it’s not going to make any difference.”
Meredith Colias-Pete, Carrie Napoleon, Carole Carlson, Amy Lavalley, Karen Caffarini, Hannah Reed and Michelle L. Quinn contributed.