Long lines awaited about 2,000 student voters in Whitewater
Released: November 4, 2004
Nearly 2,000 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater students turned out to vote on Tuesday, Nov. 4, for the 2004 presidential election. Some student voters waited in line for up to four hours, with the last of them casting their ballot at 10:45 p.m.
“We were pleased to see so many students come out and vote,” said Whitewater City Clerk Michele Smith. “We were especially impressed with their patience considering the long lines they had to wait in. Some students ordered pizza and others brought lawn chairs and played cards.”
More than 6,800 Whitewater residents voted in Tuesday’s election, an increase of about 300 voters since the last presidential election in 2000. According to Smith, a record number of absentee ballots were cast as well.
Nationwide, youth voter turnout increased by 9.3 percent over the level in 2000, thanks to grassroots efforts by the New Voter Project and the Youth Vote Coalition. At UW-Whitewater, more than 3,200 students registered early to vote, said Molly Hilligoss, campus coordinator for the New Voter Project.
To encourage UW-Whitewater students to vote, Whitewater Student Government once again sponsored a bus service to and from Whitewater’s polling place at the city’s old Armory building downtown. According to Hilligoss, about 1,000 students took advantage of the free shuttle.
“Overall, we’re very pleased with student voter turnout in Whitewater,” said Hilligoss. “While the number of students who actually voted seems a little underwhelming, it’s important to keep in mind that many students voted by absentee ballot in different counties throughout the state, so it’s hard to get an accurate count.”
- Melissa DiMotto,dimottom@uww.edu
