Many VCU students apply for absentee ballots to vote in their hometowns. But others choose to register at their Richmond addresses, casting their votes at one of the polling locations near campus.
Vidal, a post-baccalaureate student who didn’t feel comfortable giving his last name, cast his vote at the polling station in VCU’s Student Commons Building. He said that he was much more invested in the national races, since he won’t be staying in the city long term: “Since I’ll be moving I’m not like- obviously I want Richmond to do well, but I’m more concerned about the national level.”
“I’m not personally a local here,” said VCU senior Noelle Gibson. She voted for the first time this year, and said it was hard to feel connected to local races, “If it were my hometown I think I’d be more involved with that.”
Will Francoise and Natalie Murphy went to vote together in the morning. The couple are both students, registered to vote locally. Francoise said the national races were their primary motivation to get out and vote, “but I think it’s also important to remember all the state and local races, which I think might be a lot more consequential to some people’s lives, especially here in the city.”
*Correction: An earlier version of this story misspelled Will Francoise's name. It has been updated.