Young Voters Already Exceeding 2004 tallies at 4:00 pm EST
Here are the numbers:
Drexel University (Philadelphia)
2008(as of 1pm): 500 votes cast
2004 total: 425 votes cast
Virginia Tech (Blacksburg)
2008 (as of 3pm): 2,465 votes cast
2004 total: 2,069 votes cast
Florida State University (Tallahassee)
2008 (as of 3pm): 721 votes cast
2004 total: 625 votes cast
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
2008 (as of 4pm): 811
2004: 860
At Virginia Tech University and Drexel University lines are now hours long.
“Across the country we are seeing surges of young people hitting the polls,” said Heather Smith, executive director of Rock the Vote. “However; there are still significant obstacles, including three to four hour lines, logistical challenges and attempts to make voting less accessible to students. Election protection advocates are working hard to make sure every person who registered to vote is allowed to vote.”
We continue to see young voters experiencing attempts to keep them from the polls. Voters in Florida, Texas and Arizona have reported receiving the following text message: “Due to long lines today, all Obama voters are asked to vote on Wednesday. Thank you for your cooperation.” View screenshots here: http://www.rockthevote.org/electionday/?name=precincts/florida.html
In addition, we have also been notified that students attempting to vote at Florida State who are showing student IDs are being turned away. By law, students may use student IDs to vote in Florida, as long as the ID is signed. We are urging individuals to call 1-866-OUR-VOTE if they encounter any problems.
Stay tuned: Rock the Vote will have more up to date information as polls begin to close across the country.
Visit www.rockthevote.org for more stories from the polls.