Isabelle Foland | 1:01 p.m.

Brendyn Little, a second-year University of Iowa student, said he was excited to finally be able to participate in an election after growing up watching presidential elections with his family.

Little said he leans Republican and voted for former President Donald Trump because of his economic policies. While Trump was not his favorite choice, Little said Trump felt like the lesser of two evils.

“I don’t really approve of [Kamala] Harris’ job as vice president,” Little said. “I think the big example was just the handling of the border.”

Isabelle Foland | 12:54 p.m.

In order to support his dad’s business and his own dreams of owning a business in the future, second-year University of Iowa student Michael O’Brien said he voted for former President Donald Trump and U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa.

The Chicago native said he is not normally politically inclined, but he wanted to make sure he did his part in a close election.

“Even though I haven’t really ever been super into politics, my family is — my grandpa is very political, my parents are very political,” O’Brien said. “So, I just wanted to go out there and make sure that I did my part.”

Isabelle Foland | 12:33 p.m.

Lola Espinosa, a second-year student hailing from Naperville, Illinois, said she originally did not plan on voting, but after seeing how recent Iowa polls indicated the state could swing blue, she changed her mind.

“I didn’t even know if I could vote, I wasn’t even registered,” Espinosa said. “So I was like, ‘You know what? I’m just gonna try.’”

Espinosa said she voted Democrat down the ballot to protect her rights as a woman and the rights of her brother, who is in the LGBTQ+ community.

Isabelle Foland | 12:29 p.m.

First-year University of Iowa students Norah Wade and Marin Jacobsen braved the rain and long voting line to cast their first-ever votes at Catlett Residence Hall.

The Des Moines natives both identified as Democrats and voted for Vice President Kamala Harris and Congressional candidate Christina Bohannan.

The issues that mattered most to Wade and Jacobsen were women’s rights, racial equality, and climate change.

Miranda Davis | 11:51 a.m.

Sean Farley, 44, of Iowa City, is an Independent voter. His ballot was varied today, voting for Vice President Kamala Harris for the presidential election and Mariannette Miller-Meeks for the congressional race. He didn’t indicate any significant issues on the ballot for him.

“I’m true to my word as an Independent. I didn’t have too many policies on the line in this election, though,” he said.

Farley said he would trust the results of the election even if his preferred candidates did not win the race.

Miranda Davis | 11:37 a.m.

Elise Petsel, 24, of Iowa City, indicated she voted today as an Independent, declining to declare who she voted for in the election.

“I bounced around on the ballot a little today. Abortion and healthcare influenced my decision,” she said.

Petsel stated that she would still trust the results of the election even if her preferred candidates did not win the race.

Roxy Ekberg | 11:16 a.m. 

In small-town Wisconsin, voters streamed in and out of Elkhorn’s City Hall, the entire town’s polling location for the 2024 election.

Life-long Democrat Jim Schweitzer, 49, was elated to cast his ballot for Harris. He said it was the proudest vote he’s ever cast. Schweitzer said reproductive freedom and women’s rights are the most important issues to him this election cycle. He said he is surprised the race is so close, considering Harris’ experience rivals former President Donald Trump’s felonies. Schweitzer said he would be disappointed if Trump won the election.

“When someone does a job that poorly, you don’t give it back to them,” he said.

Independent voter Nancy Tomaska, 66, is largely concerned about social security. She cast her ballot for Harris and worries about America’s future if Trump were to be elected for a second term.

“I really feel strongly that if Donald Trump were elected, he might try to have more of a fascist approach to it, quite frankly, and that is a top issue for me. I understand inflation is a top issue for many people, and of course, I’m concerned about that, but my overriding concern is for the future of this country,” she said.

Nancy Tomaska and her husband, Robert, moved to Elkhorn from Illinois, and the 2024 election marks their first in the swing state. Robert Tomaska said voting in Illinois was important, however, he knew the state would stay blue. Now in a swing state, he is excited to know his vote will have sway in which color Wisconsin turns.

“I feel that we’re doing something really important today, and we’re very excited to be a part of that,” Robert Tomaska said.

Mark West, 54, voted blue up until the 2020 election, in which he voted for Trump. West cast his ballot in favor of Trump for the second time on Tuesday morning. West said he switched his vote to red because he felt as though Democrats were not accomplishing what he wanted to see — including changes to the economy and immigration. West said he does not trust the results of the 2020 election but will trust the results this election cycle.

Miranda Davis | 10:55 a.m.

Miriam Gardner, 69, of Iowa City, identified herself as a Democrat in today’s election. She cast her vote for Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential election and for Christina Bohannan in the congressional race. Key issues on her mind included inflation, grocery affordability for families, immigration policies, and access to abortion.

“I walk through the grocery store, thinking that [parents] can’t feed their families. Besides immigration and inflation, access to abortion has been huge as well. I didn’t realize until recently how bad it was in places like Texas,” she said.

Gardner also indicated that the age of candidates in the presidential race was a major influence in her decision, mentioning that she considered that as well in the 2020 election, in which she voted for President Joe Biden.

Miranda Davis | 10:15 a.m.

Andrea Krupa, 42, of Iowa City, declared she voted as a Democrat in the 2024 election. She voted for Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential election and for Christina Bohannan in the congressional race. The biggest thought on her mind today was her children.

“I want my girls to watch someone and follow someone who embodies good characteristics and kindness and the truth. I think [Harris] embodies kindness for all.”

Krupa focused on women’s reproductive rights in the election today. She said it drove her to vote more in this election than it did in the 2020 election, in which she voted for Biden.

Miranda Davis | 10:11 a.m.

On Election Day, residents of Iowa City gathered throughout the morning at the Iowa City Community School District Main Office to cast their vote in the 2024 election.

Kevin Hanick, 77, of Iowa City, identified himself as a left-leaning voter. He cast his ballot today for Vice President Kamala Harris and congressional candidate Christina Bohannan. He said his main focus was democracy in the United States.

“It’s about survival of democracy. What else can you say? For Kamala Harris, it’s certainly about her stance on women’s rights, and I am anti-Trump on his tariff plan.”

Hanick indicated that he voted for President Joe Biden in the 2020 election and voted straight Democrat down the ballot today.

Evan Watson | 9:39 a.m.

Virginia Meyer is a 74-year-old resident outside of Lone Tree. A Democrat, she said she voted for the Harris-Walz and Bohannan campaigns. She said she was proud to have voted the way she did.

She said she voted for Joseph R. Biden in the 2020 presidential election. To her, our democratic system is a primary concern in this election.

“The top issue for me is maintaining our democratic system,” Meyer said. “I think that it’s in jeopardy.”

She said she would prefer to see government policies that favor protecting those without wealth or power. The election results are trustworthy, Meyer said, but she believes there have been efforts nationwide to suppress the vote.

Meyer said she is happy to see Iowa behaving similarly to a swing state. She said Iowa seems more balanced this election, which she believes is an improvement as the current Iowa administration is too far right.

Zoe Smith | 9:06 a.m.

Many first-time voters filed into Catlett Residence Hall before heading to class. One of the early morning voters at the polls was first-year UI student Lucy Noonan.

Noonan, a Chicago native and left-leaning voter, decided to register in Iowa because she felt that her vote for Harris mattered more here than in her home state of Illinois.

“It [Illinois] was going to go blue regardless of how I voted, so my vote wouldn’t have necessarily mattered as much as it would have had I voted here,” Noonan said.

This election felt especially important to Noonan because she was able to kick off her voting career by casting her ballot for a woman.

“It is fantastic that we [women]  have the opportunity to be in office, but it’s also very scary because the stakes are really high. I feel like if she’s not in office a lot of my rights, and a lot of the people I know and care about’s rights will be stripped away. So it’s a little bit more high-stakes than I would have liked it to be,” Noonan explained.

Evan Watson | 9:05 a.m.

58-year-old Jan Slaughter of Lone Tree did not indicate how she voted. However, she indicated her strong belief in women’s rights. Her concern lay especially with her daughter.

“People made a big deal about abortion, and just because we have the right to do it doesn’t mean we would have one,” she said. “For my daughter, because we have a daughter, that she should have the right.”

Slaughter said the issue of abortion did not affect her participation in the election, and she votes every year regardless.

Brianna Brands | 8:54 a.m.

Stella Logsdon, originally from Des Moines, is a fourth-year, 21-year-old UI student who identifies as a left-leaning Democrat. Logsdon voted for Harris and Bohannan due to their stances on reproductive health care, environmental justice, and workers’ rights, but she was most interested in empowering women in office.

“I voted for one party — Democratic — and then for all the other, smaller ballots, I voted mostly just for women that I saw,” she said. “It’s really important to empower women in office, and I just wanted to make sure that those women had the chance to enact their political ideology, even if it’s not always something I agree with.”

Though Logsdon will be disappointed if Harris loses, she will maintain her trust in the election results and the democratic system.

Evan Watson | 8:43 a.m.

Brennan Lorack, a Lone Tree resident, identified himself as a conservative voter. The 39-year-old said he voted for Trump-Vance in the presidential race and Mariannette Miller-Meeks in the congressional race.

He said the main issues for him this election is inflation and the economy. Returning to the conditions under the previous Trump administration is his main concern in the election.

Zoe Smith | 8:39 a.m.

Ella Shanlo, a second-year University of Iowa student originally from Iran, cast her ballot for Donald Trump. Many of the issues important to her surrounded immigration and economic policy.

“I agree with having legal immigrants, not illegal immigrants. After the tax breakdown, I think it’s better than Kamala’s,” Shanlo said.

Shanlo also stated that she has been confused about Harris’ background and feels that Trump is more honest about himself.

“I feel Kamala is very confusing. I still don’t know if she’s African American or if she’s Indian or if she’s half. I’m not sure about her background story, it’s just very twisted,” Shanlo said.

Evan Watson | 8:31 a.m.

Megan Schmitt, 23, of Lone Tree, did not share who she voted for in the presidential race or her party affiliation. She said she voted for Christina Bohannan for the congressional race. However, she said she did not vote for one party down the ballot.

“I did some research beforehand and just went off of policies,” she said.

She said one major issue for her in the election is maintaining democracy.

Brianna Brands | 8:28 a.m.

Hugo Kaut is a third-year, 20-year-old UI student, originally from Des Moines. Kaut has voted in local and midterm elections before, but his excitement to vote for the first time in a general election stemmed from the belief that voting is the most tangible thing people can do to voice their opinions politically.

Kaut voted for Harris-Walz and Bohannan due to the candidates’ stances on reproductive freedom, citing it as a determining factor in his vote. Climate change and the ongoing conflict in Israel are also important issues for Kaut.

“I don’t approve of either of the candidates’ stances in Israel, however, so within the United States, things like abortion rights and who might end up on the Supreme Court, I feel like I am obligated to go for Kamala,” he said.

Brianna Brands | 8:19 a.m.

At the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center on the UI campus, just south of downtown Iowa City, students and Iowa City residents woke up early, casting their ballots before rushing off to class or work for the day.

58-year-old Iowa City resident Virgil Hare, who identifies as an independent voter, voted for the Harris-Walz and Christina Bohannan campaigns. Harris is the “only choice for the presidency,” Hare said, citing abortion as his top issue when he cast his ballot.

“I believe in everyone’s unalienable right to their own body,” he said.

Regardless of this year’s results, Hare trusts the democratic process and believes the volunteers working long hours are the heart and soul of the day.

Zoe Smith | 8:17 a.m.

Fourth-year UI student CJ Hallinger has voted in elections previously, but this marks his first presidential election. His biggest issue, along with human and reproductive rights, is democracy as a whole.

“It’s [his vote] pro-Kamala, but it’s also anti-Trump. Because I do think he’s eroding democratic norms that are important to the maintenance of American democracy. Also, I don’t think the last four years have been that bad. I’ll take another four,” Hallinger said.

He also stated that age was another factor that drew him to vote for Harris.

“She’s closer to my parents’ age, which I’ve been saying for years, I want a president closer to my parents’ age,” Hallinger said.

Evan Watson | 8:16 a.m.

On Election Day, southeast of Iowa City, rural Lone Tree residents trickled in during the early morning hours to cast their ballot in the 2024 presidential election.

62-year-old Jeff Lihs of Lone Tree said he identified himself as an Independent voter. He said his main issue during the election was getting both sides to work together.

“I would say getting everybody to work together instead of fighting each other is the absolutely biggest thing,” Lihs said.

He did not indicate his vote for either race, but said he would trust the election results as they are reported.

Zoe Smith | 8:08 a.m.

For Independent voter and third-year University of Iowa student Zakaiha Johnson, when casting her ballot for Kamala Harris this morning, she thought about what she wanted her future to look like.

“I think it’s pretty cool that we can have a female president nowadays. Her morals just pretty much match up with what I plan for the future and what I plan for what I want my kids to have,” Johnson said.

For many young women coming out of the polls this morning, reproductive rights were an important issue on the ballot for them.

“I would say it’s sad that our grandparents had more reproductive rights than we have. I don’t want to go back, I should have control of my life,” Johnson said.