When students went to the polls Tuesday, they expected to vote but some were sent home and were told they could not.

“We were told all you needed, as long as you were registered, was a valid ID,” said Mike Tomasek, who was at the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union Tuesday, representing the EIU Democrats. “But students were told when they got up to the polls that they needed to have something with a local address on it, like a bill or something.”

Many students went home to retrieve the extra information and made it back in time to still vote, but others did not.

“I feel very mislead,” said Kristin Thompson, a junior elementary education major. “We waited in line for 20 minutes to vote and now I don’t think I’m going get to.”

Thompson said when she and her friend, Summer Smith, reached the polls, election judges told them they were not registered to vote. Thompson said they registered last year in Coles County for a class.

At 7:15 p.m., after the polls had been closed, one student finally reached the table of judges excited to vote, but she too was told she could not. She left the union in tears.

Though many students were being turned away, election judges said most came back and were able to vote.

“We didn’t have too many problems with students not being able to vote,” said Jack Rardin, an election judge at the union. “Most were able to correct the problems themselves after they went home to get the additional information needed.”

There was a frantic change in the weather Tuesday from what Charleston residents had been experiencing in the past weeks. The day was gray and hectic, which paralleled the voting scene for some.

Despite the cold weather, there were record highs in the number of voters in the 18 to 24 age group.

Jim Gier, an election judge at the union, said precinct 16 had about 505 voters after the polls had closed at 7 p.m. Last year, according to records from the Coles County Clerk’s Office, precinct 16 had 393 voters.

“We were extremely happy with the number of students coming out to vote this year,” said Betty Simon, an election judge at the Immanuel Lutheran Student Center. “There was a huge rise in the numbers compared to past years.”

At 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, about 750 people had already voted at the center.

Election judges were not the only people impressed with the increase in numbers.

“I think it is cool to see everyone out here voting,” said Maggie Lehnhardt, a freshman elementary education major. “It surprises me, but it is definitely good to see how many people care.”

Unfortunately, high numbers meant long lines for many of the voters Tuesday, especially those waiting in line at the union.

Throughout the day, lines wrapped around the southeast doors of the union and down the main hall way. The only thing bystanders could see were the heads of anxious voters and the feet of those already voting.

“I was here at 3:45, and the line was all the way to the ‘Krispy Kreme’ sign,” said Bethany Burton, a freshman early childhood major. “I waited for a few minutes, but I had to leave for class. I came back (at around 6:30 p.m.) because I wasn’t expecting to wait in line, but there definitely still was one.”

In the afternoon, students were waiting as long as 45 minutes to cast their vote.

“We’ve had a steady line since we opened this morning,” Rardin said. “I haven’t eaten since 4 a.m., and I’m hoping that with the new equipment, that I’ll be able to go home soon and eat a meal.”