Click on the icons for various election day events. The blue dots are the polling stations, and the red dot is one of the watch parties.
You may have not heard, but it’s Election Day. What are we going to do now?
The anticipation that has been building during months of presidential campaigning ends on Tuesday, and many Northwestern students will surely look for ways to commemorate the occasion. The proximity of Evanston to Barack Obama’s hometown of Chicago gives more options as to what to do on this historic day. Whether you plan on celebrating (or commiserating) downtown or just taking advantage of free food opportunities around Evanston, you’ll definitely be able to find something to do nearby.
Students registered to vote in Evanston can head to the polls on campus. Those living on North Campus can vote at Patten Gym, and South Campus residents can do so in Parkes Hall. Students living off campus can look up the closest polling station on the Cook County Election Department Web site.
And don’t forget to save that “I Voted!” sticker. If you are still in the mood for waiting in long lines after you leave the polls, Starbucks and Ben and Jerry’s are offering free coffee or ice cream all day.
For the Obama supporters who want to be where the action’s at, the CTA is augmenting the frequency of trains all evening, and is planning on offering a rush-hour service after the Obama rally ends. Metra is also extending its outbound late-night service from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. If Grant Park is your final destination, the closest rail stations are the Ogilvie Transportation Center Metra Station and the Lake and Randolph/Wabash El stations.
Students not willing or able to make the trek to Grant Park tomorrow can attend NU Decides’ Election Day Event in Norris, starting at 7 p.m. The television in the Norris Starbucks and the projection screen in the McCormick Auditorium will both broadcast the results of the election.
“It’s our ending event after our ‘Get Out the Vote’ and lecture series, to finish off such a historical race,” said NU Decides coordinator and Weinberg sophomore Dulce Acosta-Licea. “And there will be free giveaways in the raffle and free food, including Ben & Jerry’s and more.”
NU Decides is an umbrella organization of many politically-minded student groups, including Alianza, the College Democrats and Republicans, and the Associated Student Government. Representatives from the Offices of Student Affairs and Multicultural Affairs, which are co-sponsoring the event, will also be present. The College Republicans, who will be at the event, and the College Democrats, who will be going to the Obama rally, are not sponsoring any other events on campus.
“The event ends at 11 p.m. because Norris is kicking us out,” Acosta-Licea said.