- In 2022, lines of voters stretched through Brody Hall at Michigan State, with significant wait times for voters.
- The City of East Lansing prioritized limiting lines for the 2024 election, and voters moved through their polling locations significantly quicker on Tuesday night.
- Video shows voters and East Lansing City Clerk Marie Wicks sharing their thoughts on Tuesday night's voter lines on campus.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
A key focus when it came to Election Day on campus was combatting long lines—an issue we saw during the 2022 midterms. But, things were different Tuesday night.
"We planned for a day like today based on our experience at Brody," City Clerk Marie Wicks said.
Two years ago during the midterm election, lines wrapped through Brody Hall at Michigan State, and wait times were as high as four hours for some students. But Tuesday night, there was a significant improvement in how long neighbors waited to vote.
"I figured I'd stay in line and stay with it," Caden Buller said. "I think we waited for around like 45 minutes, maybe an hour. It wasn't too bad."
East Lansing City Clerk Marie Wicks told me Tuesday night the long lines at Brody Hall in 2022 drove them to focus on shortening lines this year in a few ways. Like increasing staff to make sure students are in the right place.
"They've been great at welcoming students, making sure they know where they can find the voting location down the hall at WKAR, so I'm really happy," Wicks said.
Another factor—early voter turnout. East Lansing began early voting on October 21. And according to state data, they saw nearly two-thirds of their registered voters cast their ballots early.
While the lines were shorter this year, voters I spoke with after waiting in this year's line were inspired to vote early or by mail in the future.
"I think it definitely discouraged me from waiting until the last minute," Buller said. "I had a mail ballot going then kind of dragged my feet a little bit. So next time I'm definitely doing a mail-in ballot so I can avoid this and go back to do homework."
Want to see more local news? Visit the FOX47News Website.
For more news about MSU, go to the MSU Campus neighborhood page on our website.
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere.
Sign up for newsletters emailed to your inbox.
Select from these options: Neighborhood News, Breaking News, Severe Weather, School Closings, Daily Headlines, and Daily Forecasts.
