Early Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, the morning calm at LMU’s University Hall held its breath in anticipation of the 2026 Midterm Elections.
The Voting Center opened on Saturday, Oct. 31, located at the McIntosh Center in University Hall.
LMU’s involvement in the voting process is not new. The University has served as a Los Angeles County vote center for several presidential, primary, and midterm election cycles.
LMU acknowledges its commitment to civic engagement and expands it beyond bringing voting to campus and encouraging students to register to vote.
Election Day looks different across the country, but what did it look like on campus?
Upon arriving, a student election worker greeted voters at the door and directed them into the voting center. Voters had the option to drop off their mail-in ballot or vote in person.
Around 10 a.m., just a few hours after the doors opened at 7 a.m., only a handful of people were coming in and out of the voting center.
Once inside, voters checked in with election workers to verify their registration information before receiving a ballot. Voters then used ballot-marking devices to make their selections, review their choices, and print their complete ballot. Finally, the ballot is submitted.
The lines to get into the voting center varied throughout the day, with long lines being seen around 12:30 PM, and wait times being 15-30 minutes.
Miloh Nwankwo, a student election worker, commented on the voting center’s business.
“Sometimes it’s the E-poll books for checking people in that are packed, or sometimes our voting machines are packed,” said Nwankwo.
When asked about the mood of the voters coming in, Nwankwo mentioned that most voters are “just trying to get in and out,” since most of the voters the center has seen are in person rather than drop-off ballots.
Beyond the election workers managing the process, the center also brought together members of the LMU community. Both faculty and students praised the convenience of LMU’s voting center.
“It’s closer to my office, but I just love the fact that LMU has the voting center and I want to support it,” said John Parish, the Chief of Staff and Vice President for Institutional Strategy at LMU.
Many other students also noted the convenience of having a voting center on campus, considering that most students spend most of their day on campus.
LMU’s emphasis on educating students to become engaged citizens also raises questions about how the Jesuit values LMU holds influence the community’s participation in civic engagement.
When asked about how LMU values have shaped how they come into this election, Parish pointed out, “The Jesuit sort of approach to discernment and making choices between competing goods is an important part of my life now that I’ve been here, part of the university.”
International Relations and Chicano Latino Studies Major, Stephanie, also touched on the values that mattered to her.
“I feel like LMU, one of its values is that it has education of the whole person. Part of that is also becoming a citizen,” she said. “In a way, it does have a role in how students come into a space and vote.”
As the sun began to set on LMU, the stream of voters slowed down closer to the final hours of the voting center.
From first-time student voters to experienced faculty members, the voting center became more than another voting location. It served as a gathering space for communities invested in democracy in action.
