Campus prepares for Election Day when thousands will cast ballots in Vines

UPDATE: There were 3,205 ballots cast at the Vines Center; 2,739 ballots were cast for Republican nominee Donald Trump, earning him 85 percent of the student vote. Independent Evan McMullin recorded 5 percent, while Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and Libertarian Gary Johnson each received just above 4 percent of the vote. Trump earned 51 percent of the vote in Lynchburg, to Clinton’s 42 percent. Trump lost Virginia in a tight race with Clinton.

Tomorrow, Liberty University students will be voting for president of the United States, as well as candidates running for other state and local offices, in their own on-campus voting precinct (Lynchburg City Third Ward, Second Precinct). Ballots will be cast in Liberty’s Vines Center. Based on recent numbers provided by the Lynchburg Registrar’s Office, it is expected that between 5,000-7,000 students will vote on campus Tuesday. (There are 7,126 voters registered in the precinct, though some are not “active status.”)

Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Residents of Liberty’s Residential Annex will vote at Sheffield Elementary School. Liberty will offer a shuttle from the Annex to the voting location beginning at 7 a.m. and continuing every half hour until 6:30 p.m., when the last bus departs in time for the 7 p.m. closing time.

Off-campus students will vote in the precincts in which they live.

Setup began in the Vines Center at 4 p.m. Monday with eight university departments lending support.

Classes are cancelled to ensure students have plenty of time to fulfill their civic responsibility. Free food from Sodexo and Domino’s will be available outside the Vines Center and along its concourse for all students.

“The administration wants the day to have the feel of celebration of democratic principles,” said Dean of Students Robert Mullen.

On Monday night at 8 p.m., Liberty’s Student Government Association (SGA) will host a night of worship and prayer, featuring the Liberty Worship Collective, in the LaHaye Event Space, focusing on unity and worshiping the true King.

Throughout the day Tuesday students representing all 50 states will be in prayer for the nation. SGA will hold an election watch party in the LaHaye Event Space Tuesday beginning at 7 p.m.

Students can visit the Dean of Students Office for resources on voting or email questions to vote@liberty.edu.

The voting precinct at the Vines Center was formed in October 2011 and officially opened in March 2012, when students cast 590 votes, more than in any other precinct in the state, in the 2012 Republican Presidential Primary. Later that year, in November 2012, students voted for president for the first time from campus, accounting for more votes than any other precinct in Lynchburg, Va. Of those votes, more than 93 percent were cast for Gov. Mitt Romney. A little more than 4.5 percent voted for President Barack Obama, and nearly 1.5 percent chose to vote for Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson. Write-in votes and those cast for the remaining third party candidates totaled 26, less than 1 percent.

Before the city decided to redraw voting lines and create a new precinct at Liberty, students living on campus and registered to vote in the city had to ride buses to cast their vote. Liberty has always sought to train its students to be involved, responsible citizens. The university made national headlines in 2008 when it recruited about 4,000 students to register in the state of Virginia.

Liberty’s Convocation stage in the Vines Center has become a popular stop for those seeking political office — among them, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson, Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence, and presidential candidates Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, and Bernie Sanders. Students often express their appreciation for being able to hear about the issues from the candidates in person so that they can think critically about how the platforms align with their personal views.