With such a controversial presidential election, one may worry about students rioting or picketing at local polling places, but conflict at the polls is not a concern for Eastern’s University Police Department.

Though Eastern, Illinois State University and the University of Illinois all have polling places on campus, none are planning to increase university security to regulate students and community members.

The Eastern University Police Department said there will be regular patrolling today, and as with Illinois State University, it sees no reason to add security.

“We only have one polling place on campus, and there will be regular patrolling,” said Keith Gehrand, captain of the Illinois State University Police Department. “We see no current threat and no need for additional patrols.”

In her 16 years with Eastern, Shirley Stewart, vice president for Student Affairs, said she has seen no rioting during past elections, and she does not expect any today.

“The only thing that worries me is that EIU students won’t go out and cast their votes,” Stewart said.

The Martin Luther King Jr. University Union is the only polling place on Eastern’s campus, but is one of nine polling places in Charleston. Each of these nine polling places will host two precincts.

The polling places are run by Coles County Clerk Betty Coffrin and she said the only thing students should expect to see at the polls is people voting.