- Video shows long lines at the Douglas County Election Commission office.
- The line to get into the voting polls wrapped around the building and into nearby neighborhoods. The the average wait time was about three hours long on Saturday.
People waiting to vote shared how they made the time go by faster in the lines and why the wait was worth it.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
We are nearing the final stretch. Election day is just a few days away and voters in Douglas County are showing up by the hundreds to make sure their voices are heard, even if that means spending hours of their Saturday in line.
"Once we got here… I was like well, we're committed… this is the chance we got.. we just gotta do it." said Hannah Idowuu.
"I decided to come out and stand in the cold" said Noah Baker.
"I think after getting through this line… I will be tired, voting… but it'll be a great experience." said Ethan Mann.
And it was an experience many voters say was worth it.. The lines wrapped around the building... and into the nearby neighborhood Saturday morning at the Douglas County election commission office.
"I have it my pocket! Of course, thank you! I did vote today!" said Baker.
Noah Baker was not going to sit this election out. He's 25 years old and just voted for the very first time.
"I feel like there is a person that should not be in power.. and I feel like it is my duty to at least throw in my two-cents about it." said Baker.
Baker stood in line for three and a half hours he says it was worth it because he's leaving with more than just a sticker.
"We met some really cool people.. that made the time go by a lot faster. They handed out pizza and some snacks and stuff, so I mean you can't beat free 99." said Baker.
Ethan Mann recently graduated from Millard North. He says now that he's 18, he knows how important his vote is.
"It's really actually setting myself up for the future, where I have a chance in the possibility in impacting my future self and the future of my community." said Mann.
Not everyone in line is a first time voter. Hannah Idowuu waited hours in line with her husband and two babies one of them only 8 months.
"So if I have any power in the world that they live in. I want to use it. So I would say… think about the people that you care about." said Idowuu.
Chelyna Gaskin and Tecoria Strother are here because they want to be part of what they say is a historical election.
"This shows that all the little girls of color that they can do this too, that politics matter.. it does matter to be part of your state and city. Just give yourself a voice." Said Chelyna Gaskin.
The Douglas County Election Commissioner says with the amount of people in line waiting to cast their ballot things went smoothly. The Douglas County Sheriff's office was also on hand helping with the overflow. According to a tweet they made, there were over 500 people in line to vote on Saturday.
