During Tuesday’s Maryland primaries, students headed to the polls in either Stamp Student Union or Ritchie Coliseum — it depended on whether students registered with an on- or off-campus zip code — to cast their votes for the presidential, senate and local election primary races. While stances on presidential candidates in particular varied, most students noted a sense of responsibility to make their voices heard.
9:43 a.m., Stamp Student Union
“It felt like the right thing to do … to be a part of the political process. I’m of age to have an impact in this country, so why not try.” — Ben Akman, junior cell biology and genetics major
9:45 a.m., Stamp Student Union
“I don’t think we have had a more important election in terms of the future direction of America in the past 25 to 30 years. I think that [whoever] ends up going forward and being president in 2017 plays a very critical role in the path of America on the global stage but also domestically. We need someone who can effectively work with someone across the board.” — Aaron Solomon, junior cell biology and genetics and computer science major
10:50 a.m., Stamp Student Union
“Just to be able to say, ‘Oh, I have my own voice,’ is something that means a lot to me. A couple hundred years ago we didn’t have that opportunity. It’s something that our Founding Fathers fought for.” — Raheed Khan, senior chemical engineering major
10:56 a.m., Stamp Student Union
Voting “is extremely important, just because there’s a big divide between whether or not it’s going to be Bernie or Hillary or Trump. …It’s important for everyone to vote to distinguish between each individual [candidate].” — David Falvo, senior psychology and neuroscience major
11:08 a.m., Stamp Student Union
“For local races, I’ve been trying to follow, but I don’t really know much. I’m from Montgomery County originally, so I actually voted for [Chris] Van Hollen for Senate. I don’t feel like [candidates in local elections] have done enough to campaign to college voters, I’d never heard of half of them.” — Jagjot Battu, freshman biology major
12 p.m., Stamp Student Union
“Based on the last [debate], I don’t know if I really want to support Hillary … Bernie is fresh, he’s new and he’s been around long enough to know how things work.” — Amanpreet Kaur, sophomore enrolled in letters and sciences
Voting in this election is “not as important as the general [election], but I feel like people should still take it seriously and come out and vote because it’s pretty easy.” — Matt Burns, freshman computer science major
12:15 p.m. Stamp Student Union
I feel “very adult … I was supposed to wait for my friend but I got caught up in the process. …I feel a part [of]the system, in a good way.” Michael Pensabene, sophomore hearing and speech sciences major
12:05 p.m., Stamp Student Union
“I’m passionate about a Democrat staying in the presidency and so I voted for Hillary Clinton because I think that she is the most qualified candidate in the Democratic [primary] running right now, and is most likely to win the overall general election.” — Teri West, sophomore sociology major
12:10 p.m., Stamp Student Union
“I came out to vote today because I think it’s important, especially for young people, to have a say in politics, and also because I want to represent people who can’t vote for reasons such as being in prison, which is unfair and unlawful. I want a Democrat in office, so today I voted for Bernie, although I’m fine with either candidate winning.” — Amber Chabus, sophomore dance and kinesiology major
About 1:30 p.m., Stamp Student Union
“I think my vote matters. People say it doesn’t, but I think it does.” — Laura Werber, freshman marketing major
“Even if I don’t agree with all of [Bernie’s] views, at least he’ll go out for the right moral values, and that’s the only candidate I saw that in.” — A.J. Layton, sophomore cell biology and genetics major
3:10 p.m., Stamp Student Union
“Bernie kind of has no chance of winning at this point … [and] Hillary just means more Obama, whether that’s good or bad, but that would be better than both sides being completely polarized.” — Zack Mashewske, junior economics major
4:15 p.m., Stamp Student Union
“I have been behind [Sanders] since day one, and it’s my first time voting, which is really exciting. I did my research, and he stands for things I support.” — Ladeja Robinson, junior bioengineering major
6:30 p.m., Stamp Student Union
“All I know is that I hate Trump. …[He] has a strict policy when it comes to immigration and my parents were immigrants … It’s sad, like my mom, she has her residency but not her citizenship, and it’s scary to think if he doesn’t like it, my mom could go back to Paraguay.” — Denise Gaona-Cardozo, sophomore criminology and criminal justice major
