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For Onondaga County residents like Robert Dusan, voting in local elections is a yearly ritual.

“I’ve never missed a vote since I was 18 years old,” Dusan said.

Dusan, who has lived in Onondaga County for over 50 years, said that although he sees this year’s election as “dull” compared to other years, he takes pride in exercising his right to vote.

Onondaga County residents had the opportunity to vote at over 125 polling locations across the county in general elections on Tuesday. Syracuse University had two polling locations on campus at Goldstein Student Center and Huntington Hall. While many voters said it wasn’t a particularly standout election, those who did vote said they wanted to exercise their civic duty.

Logan Wagner, an SU sophomore political science major from Washington, D.C., said it’s important to vote to make a change within the community.

“If nobody goes out and votes, nothing is gonna get changed anyway,” he said. “It’s really important for people to kind of be part of the governing process.”

Josh Richter, a student in the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics who came to SU in January, shared a similar sentiment. Richter specifically highlighted the opportunity to vote as a college student living in Syracuse.

“I wanted to show my support for the city and have my voice heard even if I’m a college student, I feel like it’s important to have our voice heard as people in Syracuse and make change, positive change for the city,” he said.

Tim Capra, who has lived in Syracuse for about 38 years and is a parent of an SU student, said voting is imperative no matter the issues at hand. Capra said that because it is a local election, his focus was on the health and overall success of the county.

Capra voted at Goldstein Student Center in Onondaga County’s 15th District, where candidates Maurice “Mo” Brown and Moise “Mo” Moodie are running for the Onondaga County legislature. The newly-drawn 15th District includes SU’s South Campus, the University Neighborhood and parts of downtown Syracuse, the South Side and Southwest neighborhoods.

Wayne Grove, a department chair and professor of economics at Le Moyne College, said that although there weren’t any big issues on his mind, he wanted to vote for his civic duty, as he has lived in the area for about 30 years.

Meredith Austin, who voted at Nottingham High School, said she came to vote for the school board. She said she comes out each election year.

“I always vote,” Austin said. “I try to do my civic duty, come out every time.”

Published on November 7, 2023 at 11:45 pm

Contact Kendall: kaluther@syr.edu