- Both Florida State and Florida A&M have early voting locations set up on campus.
- As of Wednesday afternoon, nearly 10,000 votes have been cast, close to topping on-campus early voting numbers in 2020.
- Watch now to hear what students from both sides of the aisle are concerned about with this election.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Checking in on early voting numbers in my neighborhood at Florida State and Florida A&M University.
I'm Alberto Camargo your College Town neighborhood reporter.
I'm breaking down the numbers and speaking with student voters, who say that voting makes them feel like they’re doing their part in democracy.
“Come on in! Democracy is yelling for you to come inside! I hear her saying come in and vote!"
Students filing in and out of early voting locations at each school's student union building.
Looking at the latest numbers from the Leon County Supervisor of Elections Early Voting Snapshot:
Nearly 10,000 people have voted on campus as of 4:30 Wednesday.
The busiest day was Tuesday, National Early Voting Day.
Voting drives continue with Stroll to the Polls at FSU Market Wednesday.
Breaking it down by party: registered Democrats make up about 3,500 voters at FSU and about 1,300 at FAMU.
Students I spoke with who voted blue are most concerned about abortion rights and legalizing marijuana.
“We need to start implementing the ideals that we want now and not later. So we can actually see an exponential progression in our legislation.”
On the other side of the aisle, registered Republicans make up over 2,000 voters at FSU and just 27 at FAMU.
Vondrick Anderson says his main concerns are the economy and immigration.
He’s also part of a group of Rattlers looking to re-establish a GOP club on campus. It has been inactive since 2018.
“They may not feel comfortable or celebrated in their political opinions, which is their culture. How they came up. That’s what we seek to ground the college GOP in.”
The message across all parties: a sense of being valued as voters thanks to having a convenient location to vote on campus.
"I also know how important it is for students to vote, so it actually encourages students to vote, because it's right here."
"Make an informed choice on the issues that may or may not affect you, so it's very helpful to have that right there, right at your doorstep to where you would already be throughout the day.
Every student I've spoken with says campus polling locations are not busy, making the process quick and convenient.
With 10,000 early voters and counting, 2024 is likely to set a new high compared to 2020.
In College Town, Alberto Camargo, ABC27.
