In a tight presidential race, with President Bush’s 254 electoral seats to Sen. John Kerry’s 242 as of midnight, Bush supporters rejoiced and some Kerry advocates resigned themselves to the possibility of a Republican win Tuesday night as returned ballots flooded in around the nation.
7:30 p.m. — Thirty minutes before the 8 p.m. deadline to drop of ballots, sophomore Cailin Wheeler deposited her ballot in the Lane County Elections box in the basement of the EMU. Wheeler said she rushed to the drop box because she had misplaced her ballot.
“I was frantically searching because I definitely wanted to take part in the election,” she said.
Wheeler said she “definitely” planned to watch the election and planned to make a “little party out of it” with her roommates.
Wheeler added that she has seen many students take the initiative to become informed voters.
“I think it’s great so many young people are getting involved by watching the debates and being informed,” she said.
As last-minute voters streamed in to drop off their ballots, election volunteers and John and Ralph Smeed waited nearby to collect the ballots. John, a Democrat, and Ralph, a Republican, satisfy the county requirement that volunteers who collect ballots must be members of both parties. The brothers, who have worked the University drop box for several years, said the rate of voters seemed higher this year. John Smeed, a former county employee, said the pair usually receives one locked metal box to transfer ballots back to Lane County Elections, but this year they received two.
8:10 p.m. — Local candidates, campaign supporters and hundreds of interested voters crowded around two big screen televisions at Elections Central at the Lane Events Center to watch county and national returns. As a jazz band played nearby, people flipped through the first set of Lane County returns.
At about 8:20 p.m. Springfield resident Julie Emmett, 44, stood in front of the wide-screen TVs, pacing nervously. Emmett has been involved with anti-Bush groups such as MoveOn.org and said this has been the most emotionally involved election season of her lifetime.
Emmett said she was torn between ignoring election coverage until all winners were officially declared and gluing herself to the television screen.
“Part of me wants to wait because I’m so emotionally invested I can’t stand the suspense,” Emmett said.
University graduate student Dan Platt said Measure 37 was the measure he was most interested in because he had been working with a local progressive organization as part of the No on 37 campaign.
Platt voted for Ralph Nader in the 2000 election but was a resident of New Jersey, which was decisively in favor of Democratic presidential
candidates Al Gore, “so my vote
didn’t matter.”
Platt said he was planning on voting absentee in New Jersey this year but registered in Oregon after learning how heated the campaign was expected to be.
8:50 p.m. — Senior Kevin May said he wanted to see the outcome of Oregon Ballot Measure 37, which “has the potential to bankrupt the state,” and Measure 36, which would limit marriage in Oregon to one man and one woman, although he said both measures were close. Even though May said he had work at 5 a.m. today, he said he would probably stay up until midnight or go without sleep to watch returns.
May said the youth vote will matter in this election.
“I think the youth vote is going to make a difference,” he said. “I guess we’ll find out tomorrow.”
College Democrats member Gabe Zitrin, who has been extensively involved in the Kerry campaign, arrived at election central around 9 p.m. and said he was not at all distressed by Bush’s lead in the electoral college because Ohio results still hadn’t been announced.
Zitrin said because the election is hinging on Ohio and he didn’t think Ohio would be declared until the early hours of the morning, “I’m just waiting for Oregon to come in so I can have my work validated.”
Zitrin didn’t have to wait long. Television networks declared Kerry the winner in Oregon at around 9:45 p.m., sending a loud cheer through the crowd.
“Now I can go home,” Zitrin said, as he pumped his fist in the air.
9:00 p.m. — The Eugene Peace Choir performed as a small contingent of Bush supporters cheered the latest returns, showing Bush is ahead in the electoral college.
Lane Community College student Dan Basaraba said he wanted to see the outcomes of Measures 35 because he said it will have a big impact on medical issues. He also said he was interested in Measure 36 because he was “against the way Oregon snuck through the back door” to authorize gay marriage in Multnomah County earlier this year.
University sociology professor Chuck Hunt left the fairgrounds at about 10:15 p.m. grappling with what he said was the very real possibility that Bush will be re-elected.
Hunt said voters in America have a history of making mistakes.
“I’m afraid they made a terrible one this time,” he said.
Hunt said he will retire and move to Canada if Bush is re-elected, a claim other citizens have made but one Hunt said he fully intends on keeping.
Meanwhile, local Republican candidates and their supporters watched live returns from the Eugene Town Club at the top of the Key Bank building.
Lane County Republicans Chairman Bob Avery said he was disappointed by the outcome of Jim Feldkamp’s campaign for Congress.
“I think that Jim is a very substantial candidate,” he said. “I would hope that he would run again. Not very many challengers win the first time out, but many win the second or third time out.”
Avery added that the election was positive for Republicans.
“I think we’ve seen a tremendous new energy for the Republican Party,” he said. “We’re going to keep building on where we’re going.”
At about 11:30 p.m. freshman Erin Swartz and four of her friends gathered in a Spiller Hall room to discuss the election results. All five expressed disgust over the very real possibility of Bush winning the election.
“My friends have been calling me crying,” Swartz said. “People are just freaking out.”
Swartz said she was most distraught over the probable passing of Measure 36 and Bush’s likely win.
“His stronghold on this country is scary,” she said.
Spiller Hall resident freshman Brendan Nelson, who had already created a sign promoting Sen. Hillary Clinton for president in 2008, said he was “disappointed” by early results, especially about measures around the country banning same-sex marriage.
“I was really, really pissed off every state voted ‘yes,’” he said.
Candidate reactions
As the votes were tabulated, candidates shared their short and long term plans and reactions to the results.
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, who regained his seat, said he would focus on economic and higher education issues during his next term.
“You cannot have a big league economic growth with little league policies in higher education,” he said.
Wyden’s opponent Al King, as of 8:30 p.m., said he still felt he might win the election. Either way, he said he would go to the lake to unwind with his dog Dexter and added that he would continue to serve on the Klamath Community College Board.U.S. Representative Peter DeFazio said he is pleased with his win.
State Senator Floyd Prozanski, who was appointed to his seat in December 2003, had his position reaffirmed by voters.
“It’s very gratifying to have that support from the voters,” he said.
State Representative Paul Holvey regained his seat by a large margin. He said had several priorities for his coming term, including improving funding for education, public safety and health care.
“I’d like to see a dedicated fund for public safety… to free up funds for health care,” he said.
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News Reporter Moriah Balingit
and News Editor Jared Paben
contributed to this report