Voters faced a range of wait times at polling stations across Tuscaloosa on Election Day. On- and off-campus locations saw some of the highest wait times in the early morning when polls opened at 7 a.m., with some voters waiting up to three hours to cast their ballots. 

 Around Campus

Campus polling stations, like several off-campus stations, saw long lines in the early morning, with students casting their votes before early classes and work. 

pic.twitter.com/FI2FPdQXaJ

— Steven Polunsky (@StevenPolunsky) November 3, 2020

But around mid-morning and early afternoon, campus polling stations didn’t see much action from student voters. 

Some lines today out at the UA Rec Center and at University Mall, but both lines seemed to be moving @TheCrimsonWhite #Elections2020 pic.twitter.com/gw9tJvsRl8

— Hannah Saad (@hannah_saad21) November 3, 2020

Currently no line at the UA Rec Center. Get out there and vote Alabama. pic.twitter.com/cPaaTnncnR

— Andrew Littlejohn (@AndrewLittlej19) November 3, 2020

There is also no line at the Stillman College polling place, where the Reginald Murray and Darryl McKinstry campaigns are competing for voters for the Tuscaloosa County Commission District 4 seat (photos for The Tuscaloosa News) pic.twitter.com/XwNTAPb46N

— Hannah Saad (@hannah_saad21) November 3, 2020

Mid-Town

At 8 a.m., lines snaked down Hargrove Road while District 4 voters – some clad with lawn chairs – waited to cast their ballot at Grace Presbyterian Church. A polling supervisor said that early-morning voters may have waited two hours, while wait times in mid-morning averaged about 30 minutes. 

@TheCrimsonWhite Angie Achterhof is the polling supervisor at Grace Presbyterian she says, in her 22 years of experience she has “never seen lines this long.” With over 900 votes have been cast Achteroff says “this election could change the world in one of two ways.”

— Tessa Worley (@TessaWorley2) November 3, 2020

John Barker, captain of the Tuscaloosa Sheriff’s Department, was tasked with picking up polling rosters at around 15 locations. Around 10 a.m, he said he’d seen “the longest lines” in four years on the job.

Grace Presbyterian is located in the center of town. A few off-campus students showed up to this station, but most people in line were local residents. Narrow sidewalks made it difficult for passersby to social distance, which made some voters nervous.

@TheCrimsonWhite Carolyn Wiggins says the length of the lines at Grace Presbyterian are abnormally long. She decided to vote in person today even though she is at risk of COVID-19 due to her age because she thinks mail-in voting is just as much hassle as this method.

— Tessa Worley (@TessaWorley2) November 3, 2020

North and South Tuscaloosa

North of the river, voters likely faced the highest wait times at Church of the Highlands. Before noon, voters were waiting upwards of two to three hours to cast their votes. 

The lines at the Church of the Highlands are the longest I’ve seen all day. Here’s a time lapse video from the end of the line to the start @TheCrimsonWhite #Election2020 pic.twitter.com/wmOIkoa2gA

— Hannah Saad (@hannah_saad21) November 3, 2020

By noon, lines at the Northport Community Center were gone and poll workers had counted nearly 1,000 votes. Here’s some footage of early-morning lines: 

7:30 am poll line from the Northport Community Center, moving slowly but surely! #ElectionDay pic.twitter.com/b83Xe7ZSWM

— Mo 👩🏻‍💻 (@MM_Nakashima) November 3, 2020

The Bobby Miller Activity Center near Hillcrest also saw long lines around 8 a.m. But lines had subsided by the afternoon.

Did you vote in Tuscaloosa? Tell us about it. Tag @TheCrimsonWhite on social media or send us an email about your experience at [email protected]. 

Editor’s Note: The location of Bobby Miller Activity Center was corrected to note that it is in the Hillcrest area and not West Tuscaloosa.