Voters scurried to the polls in droves on Tuesday afternoon, lining the streets outside of John Q. Hammons Arena, where many Missouri State students, faculty, and staff placed their ballot for the 2020 General Election.
Voter turnout was projected to finish around 66.3% of eligible voters, according to The Financial Times, which if held true would break a century-old record for that statistic.
Both parties individually had record numbers for voter turnout. According to Bloomberg, a total of at least 161 million Americans voted, which is the largest number in the history of Presidential elections.
The line outside JQH arena peaked about 1 o’clock in the afternoon when a large majority of students were most likely finishing up with classes for the day.
Cameron Robertson, a senior at Missouri State, said he waited “a little over 30 minutes” before entering the arena’s front doors to place his ballot.
“It’s my first time voting in a Presidential Election,” said Robertson. “It feels good to exercise my right to vote and do my civic duty.”
At some polling stations around the Springfield area technical Issues caused delays in the voting process for extended periods of time.
“I arrived to vote at the polls at 6 a.m. when they opened, and for the first 30 minutes the line didn’t move,” said Lauren Gore, an MSU grad who voted at James River Church in Ozark.
Most polling stations in Christian County had issues with a glitch on polling tablets that resulted in the delays.
As of Wednesday evening, Democratic candidate Joe Biden held a substantial lead in the popular vote, however, the electoral college votes still hung in the balance. The final results are to be expected in the coming days, and are likely to change with an influx of mail-in-ballots still coming in.
UPDATE: Saturday, Nov 7 – The Associated Press declares Joe Biden the Winner of the 2020 Presidential Election after the projected win of Nevada propels him past the 270 electoral vote threshold.