Campaigning is over, the polls are open: What does voting look like in Oxford?

This is a developing story that will be updated with information throughout the day.

The sun has barely risen before voters have made their way to one of the three voting locations in Oxford: the Marcum Hotel and Conference Center, Talawanda High School and Kramer Elementary School.

On the local ballot, voters will see two seats open for county commissioners, three levies and three state supreme court seats. However, most voters will jump to the presidential options: Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.

Follow The Miami Student for regular updates on how Miami Students and Oxford residents are voting at the polls throughout the day.

6:30 a.m.

When the Ohio polls opened at 6:30 a.m., Kramer Elementary had 30 people lined up ready to vote.

Kramer is the voting location for many Miami students who live off campus and nearby Oxford residents; however, no students were in line to vote in the early hours of election day. 

Still, two Miami seniors, Anai Johnson and Mollie Duffy, were volunteering at the polls for Election Protection, a nationwide organization where attorneys who work out of a protection center in Columbus take calls all day about any problems people might have with their polling place. Duffy said the issues they help with could include someone not being able to vote, potential voter suppression and more. 

“We're kind of the front of the line,” Duffy, a political administration major, said. “People who are basically able to connect them with this hotline or answer their immediate questions for them, so we had a basic training just to answer anything that voters [could have issues with].”

Johnson, one of the first people on the sidelines volunteering, said her job is to make sure everything goes smoothly and people follow the rules. She added that their other responsibilities range from making sure everyone’s vote is heard to ensuring political entities and other affiliated parties are 100 feet away from the booths.

The line leading into Kramer dwindled quickly as people headed off to work, but there was still a steady flow of people coming and going. Cheryl Birkenhauer was one of the many Oxford residents getting her vote in before work.

Birkenhauer said one of her biggest concerns was the candidates running for president. She voted for Harris.

“I want our rights, the women's rights, to be heard,” Birkenhauer said.

She added that the Ohio State Senate race is another important seat up for election and she favors Sherrod Brown over Bernie Moreno.

As the sun was still rising over Oxford, Mark Crispin, an Oxford resident, said he came out to vote to see some change in the country’s direction. He voted for Trump to make that happen.

“[Voting] is really important,” Crispin said. “Oxford is a pretty much liberal town, so Republicans need to get out and vote.”

Crispin also voted no on Issue 1, a proposed amendment that would bring the responsibility of redistricting to Ohio citizens, and take it away from the hands of politicians.

By 7:00 a.m. the line to vote reached one to three people.

Reporting by Senior Campus and Community Editor Taylor Stumbaugh.

8 a.m.

Unlike Kramer Elementary, the Marcum Hotel and Conference Center did not see a lot of traffic.

This is not unusual, though. Early voting ended Sunday, and in Ohio, more than 2.5 million people voted early in the election. According to data from the Ohio Secretary of State, Butler County saw more than 27,000 absentee mail-in ballots requested, 6,900 of which came from voters ages 18-24.

Valeri Hernandez was one of the students who voted through mail-in ballots. A Cleveland native, Hernandez is a senior English and social justice major who works with the Seal Ambassadors and Election Protection every year during election season.

Hernandez said she felt nervous to mail in her ballot this year because of the recent ballot drop box fires in different parts of the country, including Oregon and Washington. 

“I didn’t feel safe just putting it in the box,” Hernandez said. “I feel like I had to go inside of the post office and be like, here, making sure it was in their hands. Just because of everything that we've been seeing.”

Like others, Hernandez voted yes on Issue 1 to stop gerrymandering in Ohio; however, she said the language on the ballot was confusing.

“I thought they could have done a better job,” Hernandez said. “I thought [the wording] makes it sound like a bad thing when I don't think it is.”

She also voted Harris for president and Sherrod Brown for state senate.

By 8:30 a.m. the flow into Marcum was roughly two people every five to 10 minutes. To get to the voting booths, the mix of Oxford residents and students had to walk up a path lined with “Vanessa Enoch for Congress” signs, “Chantel a Better Choice for Butler County Commissioner,” “Yes on 1,” “Bernie Moreno for U.S. Senate” and more.

Not only that, but they had to navigate the four booths outside as well: Miami’s MAP in collaboration with Seal Ambassadors, Students for Sherrod Brown and Election Protection.

Ben Cornell, a sophomore arts management and entrepreneurship major, walked past those signs after casting his vote for Trump. The first-time voter said he strongly believes in his right to vote and putting his “two cents in for the future.”

“I didn't like the direction the last four years has been, and to be honest, when I do listen to both candidates, it's a lot of word salad [from Harris],” Cornell said. “It's not real policy, necessarily, and it's not a plan that I can get behind if it's going to be what we did the last four years.”

Reporting by Senior Campus and Community Editor Taylor Stumbaugh

10 a.m.

Voters at the Marcum Hotel and Conference Center were greeted by several groups outside the polls. Some, like the Feminist Majority and the Miami College Democrats, were endorsing specific candidates, while others, like the Miami SEAL ambassadors, were there to encourage people to vote. 

Despite the tensions this election season has brought, the atmosphere outside the Marcum Hotel and Conference Center was calm and friendly.

There were no lines, and voters were in and out of the polls in roughly five minutes. About an equal number of students and faculty were voting this morning, with many saying it was a stop on their way to or from class. 

Jeff Wanko, a faculty member at Miami, voted “Yes” on Issue 1. Although, he said he was disgusted by the way Issue 1 was “presented to be confusing to people.” He also voted for Harris and Tim Walz, saying they “represent the future.” 

Wanko echoed a sentiment common in many voters – that voting is a civic duty.

Lucas Orlando, a senior philosophy and political science major, described voting as a right and a privilege. 

“We have an obligation to vote, or else what’s it all for?” Orlando said.

Orlando also voted “Yes” on Issue 1.

"It's pretty clear that a person with a stake in the districts should not have a say in the districts,” Orlando said. “It would be like letting a criminal be the judge in their own trial, it makes no sense."

In individual races, Orlando voted for Democrats, saying that he believes the Democratic party does a better job at working toward the good of the people, while the Republican party pushes political division. 

A senior finance major and self-proclaimed Libertarian who identified himself only as Nick, said that while he would have rather voted for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., he voted for Trump. As a finance major, Trump’s economic policies were important to him, while Harris’ policies seemed ineffective.

He also said that while Harris promotes herself as a candidate for change, he is unconvinced, as he hasn’t seen much change during her tenure as vice president. 

Nick voted on Issue 1 because he heard so many people talking about it, so it seemed important. When he read the ballot language, he said it sounded like Issue 1 would just “change one [gerrymandering law] for another,” so he voted “No.” 

A steady, yet meager flow of voters to the Marcum Hotel and Conference Center continued into the late morning. 

Reporting by Eliza Sullivan.

11 a.m.

By this time, the Marcum Hotel and Conference Center saw increased foot traffic as students and residents filed in to vote.

Breanna Rybolt, Miami graduate and Oxford resident, said that at the top of her list of important issues in the election was to protect women’s rights.

“The abortion bans are excessive,” Rybolt said. “I want to get rid of those.”

She said she was excited to vote for Harris, the first Black woman on the presidential ballot.

“Seeing representation in the government… The first female president is amazing,” Rybolt said.

Nicholas Winebrenner, a junior finance major, said it was his “civic duty” to cast his ballot this year.

“No matter which side you’re on, I think you should let the country know how you feel,” Winebrenner said.

He said that protecting abortion rights is his main driver for voting today.

“It’s been a law and protection that my mom, sisters, grandma and aunt have had and to have that go away for the people I love is dangerous,” Winebrenner said.

Winebrenner is an out-of-state student from Illinois. He had to fill out a provisional ballot this year before he could later get verified once his passport was shipped to him.

Starting in 2023, Ohio implemented new voter laws requiring voters to have an Ohio driver's license or a U.S. passport to be able to vote. The change makes it more difficult for out-of-state students like Winebrenner to vote.

Although he had difficulty voting in this election, Winebrenner said that the poll workers helped him understand the verification process.

Reporting by Assistant Campus and Community Editor Austin Smith.

Noon

A slow but steady stream of voters made their way into the Marcum Hotel around noon. Every few minutes, another voter would go in to cast their vote.

Voters entered with divided opinions on different issues on the ballot, such as who they wanted as president and how they felt about Issue 1.

Anthony Lahna said he associates himself more with the Democratic Party and entered Marcum intending to cast his vote to elect Harris as president. Lahna has considered himself a Democrat for a while and noted Issue 1 as being particularly important to him.

“Issue 1 is my go-to right now,” Lahna said. “It’s something I’ve thought for a long time is a big deal, but other things have been very popular this election, especially like abortion and women’s reproductive rights.”

Lahna also touched on Issue 12 and the importance of breaking the cycle when it comes to addiction. He said he believes that what people see in the media can impact how they vote, especially when it comes to algorithms reinforcing what they already believe.

When talking about the presidential race, Lahna said Kamala was a new option that he felt was right for the future.

“I’m excited because we actually have someone that’s not a 70-year-old man on the ballot,” Lahna said. “That’s not my only reason for voting for her, but it definitely helps to feel like there’s [a] change in the country when you have somebody that’s a fresh face.”

Nate Madding, a senior finance major, said he associates with the Republican Party but refrained from sharing who he was voting for. His parents raised him Republican, and he said his morals and values align with that.

He also said that Issue 1 is important to him, but he didn’t say which way he was voting on it. Madding said he hopes, regardless of who wins, that Americans will come together.

“I still have faith in the American people that no matter what happens, at the end of the day, we’re all team U.S.A.,” Madding said. “No matter what happens, hopefully, the end result is that we get better and closer as a country.”

Rhiannon Campbell, a Miami student, said she’s a Democrat and is nervous about what might happen after this election. Campbell went into the building intending to vote for Harris.

Campbell said there are a lot of issues in the world at the moment, and whoever wins the election will determine the future of those issues.

“I think it’s really divided, the people, it’s just a lot of attacking either side and making the other side seem worse than it really is,” Campbell said. “It’s kind of just hurtful.”

Reporting by Assistant Campus and Community and Assistant Culture Editor Stella Powers.

5 p.m.

As the winds picked up and the sun set at the Marcum Hotel and Conference Center, students and members of the community started steadily appearing to vote. 

Many Miami students came to the polls after classes. One of those students,  sophomore biology major Mara Eckerle, voted earlier today but brought her friend to vote later in the day. While she is from Kentucky, she changed her voting registration to her Oxford address to vote in Ohio.

“I think it's important because, especially for college students,” Eckerle said. “Voting is how you can decide your future, so it’s important that everyone has a say, and everyone makes sure that they say what they want for their future.” 

Ecklerle’s friend, Sophia Hunt, a sophomore psychology major, said her main priority was voting to protect women’s rights. 

“I want to protect myself,” Hunt said. “And I think it’s important, no matter what your views are, to exercise your right to vote.” 

Eckerle and Hunt both voted Harris for president and also voted “Yes” on Issue 1. 

At 5:30 p.m., Duffy had joined the other Our Vote members at Marcum and was talking with voters who had to vote with a provisional ballot. Throughout the day, Duffy did not receive many complaints from voters, but she did have to report a voting issue with the Butler County Board of Elections. 

“The only direct complaint that I got was one person [who was] registered at a dorm last year and had updated her registration to her off-campus house this year,” Duffy said. “However, when she looks up her registration, she’s registered at her house. But [at the voting location], for some reason, she was taken off the voter rolls.” 

Grace Schaefer, a sophomore early childhood education major, also voted for Harris and U.S. Senate incumbent and democrat Sherrod Brown but had a different reason for choosing them as her candidates. 

“I want to make a change in the world,” Schaefer said. “To help me as an educator when I grow up … Just to make sure that the kids are safe in the schools and that I’ll be safe in schools.”

Meanwhile, at Talawanda High School, elementary schoolers geared up for football practice There was a steady stream of Miami students and community members filing in to make sure they got their votes in before the polls closed at 7:30. 

Maddie Erwin, a senior studying music education, isn’t originally from Ohio but voted to have an impact on local politics. 

“I wanted a chance to actually have an impact cause I’m probably going to end up staying here,” Erwin said. 

While Erwin was excited to vote in her first Ohio election, she said she wasn’t incredibly involved in the political process. She declined to say which presidential candidate she voted for. 

Kiera Hinojosa, a junior kinesiology major was another student voting at Talawanda High School around 5 p.m. Her primary concern in the voting booth was women’s rights.  

“It’s important to me because of my mom and our situation,” Hinojosa said. “My mom was a single mom and she had a choice. I want to be able to protect that.” 

Hinojosa, originally from Columbus, wasn’t registered to vote in Oxford but still chose to cast a provisional ballot. She voted for Harris and Walz and voted “Yes” on Issue 1. 

Charlie Farmer a recent Miami graduate who still works on campus as an administrative assistant, came out to vote because they “didn’t want Trump back in office.” 

“I didn’t really come out for those [state issues],” Farmer said. “I spent some time looking them up last night and figured out okay, this is what sounds good to me.” 

Reporting by Staff Writer Molly Fahy, Managing Editor Olivia Patel and Asst. Campus and Community Editor Anna Reier.

6 p.m. 

At 6 p.m., Kramer Elementary School saw crowds dwindling and no students present. As the sun set, a few voters were working to get last-minute votes in before local polls closed at 7:30 p.m., with the last national poll closing at 1 a.m. EST. 

Reporting by Managing Editor Olivia Patel and Asst. Campus and Community Editor Anna Reier.