Election Day 5:03 p.m.

Maddy Nelson, the career readiness technology manager at the University of Oregon Career Center, just got off work. She said the stakes this evening are high. “I am a gay woman — this election for me means that I get to keep loving the person that I love,” she said. 

Nelson had her late father, a veteran, in her thoughts when she voted. Her father, who passed away last year, worked to help expose flaws in the Veterans Affairs systems, she said. “The Republican candidate has talked very poorly about veterans in the past, and proposed cuts to the Veterans Affairs administration,” she said. 

The Deschutes County native is a registered independent and said she researches all candidates. In this election, she said her decision was easy.

Election Day 4:38 p.m.

Connie Berglun has been on the same street corner in Eugene since the ’90s, holding a sign that reads “THERE IS A LOT ON THE BALLOT!! ACT NOW!! VOTE!.” 

With her short but sweet slogan, she hopes to encourage people to get engaged in not just the presidential election but local issues, too. “People think it’s only about the president, or they think, I live in Oregon, my vote doesn’t count… There’s two pages on the ballot,” she said.

“I think about all the people around the world who can’t vote or have crooked and rigged elections… I think we have such a privilege that we have a relatively clear and honest election.”

Election Day 4:27 p.m.

Seira Kitagawa, a junior at the University of Oregon, was raised in Japan. She sees a big difference between American and Japanese politics. Japan’s prime minister is chosen by political parties, rather than by citizens, she explained. 

“In Japan, from my perspective, people are not as passionate,” Kitagawa said. “I think it’s cool that in U.S., the younger generation care a lot about election and politics.”

Election Day 4:20 p.m.

Dianne Avila, an English as a second language teacher from California, said she first voted in the 1998 election. A lot has changed, including the pressure in education when choosing a candidate, she said. “I’ve always been a teacher, and so I actually would have people tell me who to vote for or else,” she said, later mentioning that the pressure from her peers contributed greatly to her vote. “I’m not going to be controlled,” she said.

Voting, for her, is an act of personal independence. “If you don’t vote, you don’t have a say. You’re just like a follower,” she said. “I can’t complain if I didn’t vote.”