Election one for the ages for first-time voters

For Ohio State first time voters, this election is one to be remembered.

"This is the most important election of this generation," said Taylar Shermer, a sophomore in philosophy. "[Voting] was wonderful. It was my first time voting. I have looked forward to voting since high school."

Others, such as Melissa Minshall, share the sentiment as a first time voter.

"I want to feel like I'm making a difference," said the junior in international studies. "I really care about the issues like Iraq and the economy."

Mixed with the excitement, though, was the burden of an election process that can seem overwhelming.

"I waited a long time, about a half hour to 45 minutes and the line was a little confusing," said Julia Zu, a freshman in accounting.

Despite some of the confusion for first time voters, new voters still came out strong. At the St. Thomas Moore Newman Center, students voted in steady numbers all day.

"It's almost predominantly students, almost 100 percent." said Peter Schanz, organizer for the Ohio Public Interest Research Group New Voters Project.

Voter turnout

At the Tuttle Recreation Center, around 4,000 people were registered to vote. By 9 a.m., close to 500 people voted, said to Desma Bennet, the director of Tuttle Voting Station.

At the Newman Center, judges were surprised to see so many students lined up in the morning.

"We've never had a lineup outside the door before 6:30 a.m.," said Ray Lyons, a precinct judge.

The Summit United Methodist Church experienced a similar turnout.

Stan Sells, the voting location manager, said about 200 voters had been processed by 9 a.m.

Despite the early rush, voting near OSU slowed during the day. By 1 p.m., Tuttle no longer had a line outside the building. The Newman Center only had a "slow but consistent" voter showing, Schanz said.

Ben Piscitelli, the Public Information Officer for the Franklin County Board of Elections said turnout was "lighter than we thought it would be. Poll's were busy in the early [morning] but have calmed down throughout the day."

Problems at the polls

The main conflict came from students who went to vote without identification.

"In a university area, we always have issues over identification," said Stan Sells, voting manager at the Summit United Methodist Church. Many students went to the University Registrar's Office and came back with proper ID, he added.

Erin Bode with the PIRG New Voters project said the Newman Center and Jesse Owens South had many problems with student voters' addresses coming up invalid.

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