With only one poll booth running for grace period registration most of Tuesday, voters at the Carbondale Civic Center were waiting hours to cast their ballots if they registered the same day. 

At the entrance, poll workers were telling same-day registrants they would have around a three hour wait to vote. First-time voters Alexis Durr and Alyssa Peterson were near the front of the line at 5 p.m. when they told the Daily Egyptian they had been waiting four hours to vote. 

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“I was really busy and didn’t have the time,” Peterson said, referring to grace period registration and early voting. “And then I also have my school address and my home address and – I don’t know – it was complicated.”  

Omar Tochimani, a junior studying automotive technology at SIU, said he thinks the school could have done a better job preparing students for the election. 

“I was told I wasn’t able to vote if I’m not in my county, and I was told about like an hour and a half ago I was still able to register for Jackson County, even though my state ID has my home address,” he said. “I feel southern Illinois could have done better letting the students know that they could still register to vote for Jackson County without change of address, so I feel this falls a lot on the chancellor and SIU itself, because a lot of this could have been avoided if they let students know ahead of time, ‘Hey you can register to vote for Jackson County without change of address.’” 

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According to University Director of Communications Kim Rendfeld, weeks leading up to Election Day contained several events accessible to students in order to prepare. A workshop on Sept. 24 and a registration table on Oct. 3 were held in the Student Center, Rendfeld said. General information about voter registration was listed on the registrar’s website. 

The Student Center served as an early voting location on Oct. 16, 24, 30, 31 and Nov. 1. Grinnell Hall served as a polling site on Election Day according to Rendfeld.

Jackson County Clerk Frank Byrd said a second poll booth for registration was added later that evening. Additionally, he mentioned that as long as voters were in line to register when the polls closed at 7 p.m., they would be allowed to vote.  

Because voter registration closes 28 days prior to an election in Illinois, the state offers grace period registration, in which voters must register and vote on the same day. Byrd said the county started the period on Oct. 9 to prevent the situation, as well as early voting opportunities which started Sept. 26. 

In Illinois, normal Voter Registration closes 28 days prior to each election. To register and vote in an upcoming election after that time one must complete Grace Period Registration. Grace Period is where you must register and vote that day. You may register in person for either normal Voter Registration or Grace Period Registration at the County Clerk’s Office and the City Clerk’s Office in the Carbondale City Hall. For dates and times please call the Jackson County Clerk’s Office, or the City Clerk’s Office in Carbondale.

“You know, sometimes this happens,” he said. “It’s a record all through the state. On a national level, I think that people are turning up and voting. I hate that they’re having to wait, but we’re doing the best we can. We’re trying to make sure that they get out as soon as possible. But again, it’s a process, because when you’re registering and voting at the same time, it’s a little bit longer line, because you’re having to make sure you have all the documentation…So that’s why the line is really long.” 

Ameriah Lockett, a sophomore studying musical theater, said she had registered to vote in her hometown initially but did not want to miss classes. She came to the Civic Center instead, but the effort did not benefit her. 

“I (came) here during my break time to register since I wanted to vote anyways, and I’ve missed two classes,” she said. “So I feel like I could have just gone home.”

Byrd said he wished the voter process was “a simpler task” for citizens. 

“I make it available with the ballot boxes that I put out for people to vote by mail instead, and I just feel like, I wish I could offer more,” he said. 

Lockett said she witnessed people flipping a coin to decide whether to stay in line or not. 

“They were like, heads or tails we leave, and then they left,” she said. 

Despite their frustration, many community members decided to wait it out. 

“I’m voting just because I have a right to, and I know that I have that right,” Lockett said. “The people who come before me have fought for that right, and I think that I should continue that fight and show up for them.” 

Tochimani said he was voting for his parents, who immigrated to the United States from Mexico in the ‘90s. 

“They are not allowed to vote,” he said. “I feel like it’s my responsibility to pick the candidate that best suits them, so I feel like that’s another reason why I’m here.” 

Peterson decided to stay because she believes every vote counts, but she said she plans to be better prepared the next time she votes. 

Ben Weir, a junior studying physiology, said he had been waiting for about two hours and was still not halfway through the line. Nonetheless, he thinks same-day registration is a good thing. 

“It leaves room for a bunch of people probably just like me or people who just didn’t even know about it,” he said. 

When asked if he thought there is anything the Civic Center could have done to improve the process, he mentioned having more workers and open boxes. Byrd said that this Election Day has been “somewhat historic” and that the turnout was new to the county.  

“If we’re going to have this kind of turnout, I want to make sure that we have as many places as these people can register and vote as they want and I’ll be looking into that,” he said. “Of course, you know, it’s always budget restraints, because I have to ask the County Board for my budget anyway, and, you know, they’re always complaining about that. 

“But the thing of it is, I think I’ve made voting accessible more than probably any other clerk in probably Jackson County history. But again, if we’re going to have this kind of turnout, I’m going to make sure that we’re going to have more the next election. It’s just that it’s hard to gauge, you know what I’m saying?” 

Weir also said he planned to stay in line and that he believes it is “good to vote.” 

“I don’t really have a big reason (to vote) to be honest,” Weir said. “I’ve never been huge on politics, but I mean, it’s my voice…You have the power to sway the decision, so I mean, you might as well.” 

Byrd described the voter turnout in Jackson County as “phenomenal.” 

“I’ve been here over a decade, and we’ve never seen anything like this in-person voting,” he said. “Now, in 2020 we had massive mail-in votes, and in 2018 we had massive vote-by-mail ballots, but…we’re not seeing that this time. We’re seeing around 2,500 and there may be more, because they’re still counting them. So I mean, they’re still coming in. So I’m really not sure how to gauge this. I hate to say that, but this is just really something that we haven’t experienced before.”

News editor Carly Gist can be reached at [email protected]. To stay up to date on all your southern Illinois news, be sure to follow The Daily Egyptian on Facebook and on X @dailyegyptian.

Editors Note: This story has been updated to add comment from University Director of Communications Kim Rendfeld on SIU early voting outreach

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