The mood at the Blue Note in Columbia was upbeat and expectant.

The crowd was comprised of young and middle-aged voters and those not yet old enough to vote.

Richard King owns the Blue Note and said he hosted the party because the Democratic Party asked him.

King said he does vote democratic, and said he voted for Obama and Democratic Governor-elect Jay Nixon in this election.

Stephens graduate student Jeanetta Hartley said she went to the Blue Note on election night because she has been more involved in this election than any before.

She said she was more active in this election than past elections because she is very interested in health care and education.

Mizzou student Beth Korte said she attended the watch party at the Blue Note simply for the coverage. She said the main issues for her during this campaign were health care and education, although the economy was also very important.

by Jesslyn Tenhouse

As I stand outside Dyed Hyde Tattoo shop and stare aimlessly at the line of people waiting at the front counter I can’t help thinking, Why would a tattoo and piercing business offer a free piercing, minus the cost of a stud or hoop, to anyone who has voted?

Let’s be frank here. It seems like a strange offer and that getting a free extra hole in your body is not the best way to promote the democratic process. People should want to vote because they feel strongly about an issue or a candidate, not because they can get something free out of it.

Samuel Adams once wrote, “Let each citizen remember at the moment he is offering his vote that he is not making a present or a compliment to please an individual, or at least that he ought not so to do; but that he is executing one of the most solemn trusts for which he is accountable to God and His country.”

I’m sure back in the 18^th century those few that were privileged enough to vote were not offered a free sheep if they did so. Starbucks and Ben & Jerry’s are doing the same thing, offering a free promotional item to encourage people to vote. But there are two ways to look at what these companies are doing.

First there’s the reason they want you to believe – offering an incentive for those who choose to vote somehow contributes to the democratic process. Then there is the second. Maybe all these companies are doing giveaways to make money. It’s brilliant free advertising. Once the word got out that Dyed Hyde was offering a free piercing, local media was quick to pick up on the promotional campaign. They might be taking a loss up front by only requiring those showing proof of voting to pay $5 to $10 for the stud or hoop, but this promotion has undoubtedly increased their business ten-fold for the day.

And don’t think it’s just a Dyed Hyde thing. What grown-ups do you know who go to Ben and Jerry’s to eat ice cream by themselves? That’s right – very few. They will probably have their kids with them and because you have to be 18 to vote, they can’t get free ice cream, which means their parents will have to buy it for them. And Starbucks, yeah they’re giving away free coffee, but let’s not forget Starbucks also has all those yummy things behind the counter that you couldn’t possibly pass up. So your trip to Starbucks for a free cup of coffee has put money back in the pockets of Starbucks.

But maybe all this is beside the point. All the free stuff you get today doesn’t discount your vote or make it not as worthy as someone who didn’t get a free piercing. If anything could be concluded from all of this it is that this election has been infused with energy from young voters that started way before free piercings and ice cream came into the picture.

If Election Day couldn’t be complicated enough someone has decided that it would be a hilarious idea to play a practical joke on those people looking to vote in the Student Union. Someone had the frankly brilliant idea of posting a sign telling voters that the voting would be taking placing on the first floor of the SUB. So of course many students saw the sign and walked down the stairs only to have to make a U-turn in complete frustration after learning that the line was forming outside.

In a period of an hour, more than three dozen eager voters with ID cards in hand walked to the SUB Down Under where they saw the voting booths, but sadly were also presented with a dry-erase board telling them “to vote enter down under from the outside door only.”

I’m sorry but having people wait outside in November in Kirksville is not the best decision. Yeah, the weather has worked out thus far, but on any other fall day cold temperatures would have kept student from the polls after seeing such a long line. And it is a long line, it’s 11 a.m. and 450 student voters have already placed their votes for the next president of the United States while 30 more wait in line.

Election officials say they expect a good turnout at the Student Union as the day wears on and are asking voters to be patient and brace for possible delays. So my best advice to save you a bit of time, frustration and the possibility of assaulting someone in a moment of rage is to not even go in the SUB. Instead walk down Franklin Street toward the Student Union and when you see a line, jump in and you’ll be all right.

 Some interesting things are happening on and around the campus of Lincoln University in Jefferson City this Election Day. A group of students in support of Barack Obama have set up shop directly outside of the polling place near the campus encouraging people to vote. There were some complaints by people that they were electioneering too close to the building, so a poll worker came out and measured 25 feet and told them they could not stand in front of that line. There were also shuttles bringing people in to vote for people that did not have transportation

      The lines were not too incredibly long at the polling place. Most people I talked to said they waited between 20 and 25 minutes to vote.

      One thing I noticed on Lincoln’s campus was the complete lack of bipartisanship. That is not completely surprising since Lincoln is a Historically Black College (HBC). Frank Williamson of the group Campaign for Change said thirer complete focus is on helping get Barack Obama elected president.

      “We have been going door to door and trying to get people to vote,” Williamson said. “Our focus isn’t really on the other candidates.”

      He also said there is very little support for John McCain on the campus.

      I walked by another group of students from the same organization. They had a table in front of the libray making sure people get out and vote. The table was loaded down with Obama signs, but there was a very small John McCain sign on the corner. One person sitting at the table told me they had to remain neutral, but they really were not following the rule. Pretty soon after that a woman came by and told them to display their McCain sign more prominently.

For the bulk of my college career I have maintained one primary objective: scheduling out my days with the intent of remaining in bed for as long as possible. Strategically scheduling classes, showering the night before, and skipping breakfast were just a few things I did to ensure the possibility of extra sleep. But the opposite seems to be happening among my peers on this historic Election Day, as students line up outside the newly renovated Student Union Building to place their ballots. It’s only 9 a.m. as a man in a Nascar ball cap and navy-colored hoodie is settling into his post, where he will be checking voter identification for rest of the day. At this early hour, already this polling location has seen more than 200 voters come and leave. So many factors could be attributed to why students are turning out to the polls, so many in fact that it would be hard to comprise a detailed list. But one factor remains true—an abundance of student enthusiasm. There’s a large number of student volunteers who have donated their time and even skipped classes to remind students to vote and to do some last minute persuading for their party’s candidates.

One such person awake for such do-gooding was Peter Johnson who positioned himself right across from the polling station in front of Centennial Hall. With Obama stickers in hand and a blow horn attached at the waste he strikes up conversations with all passers-by, urging them to vote while dressing kids head to toe in Obama support stickers. “Handing out stickers all day… you can tell who really feels strongly for Obama, they’ll personally ask for a sticker,” said Johnson. Of the people he has talked with, he said more than 60 percent of students voters are voting for Barack Obama.

The only group missing from this election extravaganza was the college republicans. “It’s shocking not to see them,” said Johnson. “Where the hell are they?”

The only reasonable answer that one could contrive from such a question is, like me, sleeping was the priority this morning.

Pssh…someone go wake them…the line for voting is starting to curve down Franklin Street.