Hopkins Park sees steady stream of voters

DeKalb County residents called the voting process at the Hopkins Park Terrace Room Tuesday afternoon a “quick and easy process” while there were no lines to cast their ballot.

A steady stream of voters filled the Hopkins Park Terrace Room, 1403 Sycamore Road, Tuesday afternoon, and more voters started arriving near 7 p.m. when polls close. 

One DeKalb family came to Hopkins Park to vote together for the first time. They said if citizens don’t vote, they’re wasting their time. 

“I came out to vote because, as a citizen, it’s my job,” DeKalb resident Kathi West said. “It’s my duty, and it’s a privilege.”

DeKalb resident Shaelyn West said she’s a first-time voter, and that she came to the polls with her family because “Trump needs to leave office.” 

“If you don’t vote, you don’t have a right to complain,” DeKalb resident Tom West said. 

Election judge Bob Hadley said throughout the day, there was a steady stream of voters coming in and new voters he’s never seen before. Hadley said he’s been working as an election judge at Hopkins Park since he retired in 2001. 

“It’s been a much smoother process with the ballot machine that we have this year,” Hadley said. “We also have an official here that registers people right on the spot to vote, so that’s made it easy.” 

Other voters at Hopkins Park had trouble casting their ballots when election judges told them they were in the wrong precinct. 

DeKalb resident Josie Randecker and her boyfriend said they showed up to Hopkins Park earlier in the day to vote, but were told to turn around because it was the wrong precinct. Election judges at the other location told Randecker that Hopkins Park was her designated precinct.

“Just driving back and forth, it took us 15 minutes,” Randecker said. “We finally voted at Hopkins Park but the election judges gave us attitude when we came back to vote.” 

DeKalb resident Margaret Struthers said Tuesday was her first time voting and she came out simply because she wanted to. 

“I feel like voting in-person is more reliable,” Struthers said. “I feel like I’ve had a lot of mail get lost, and I don’t want to lose my ballot.”  

DeKalb residents Jim and Val Harris said they’ve always voted as long as they can remember, but with this election, they just want the best person to run the country with good intentions in mind.

“Unfortunately, I think we needed someone else to choose from, but you deal with what you have and make the best of it,” Val said. “We also just have to believe in the nation, you just have to believe that Americans can get through this, they’ve gotten through worse things before.”