First time voters put aside COVID-19 concerns to vote

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Tons of people lined up outside of Clay High School to vote today, and for some, it was their very first time hitting the polls.

And hitting the polls during a pandemic isn’t exactly what South Bend resident Kayla Jaeckel had in mind.

Although everyone in line with her kept their distance, and for the most part wore masks, she still had worries coming into it.

“Being in like and going through the process is already nerve wrecking in and of itself and with this whole pandemic, keeping social distance, wearing masks, keeping ourselves safe and others as well is kind of another later added on,” Jaeckel said.

And her sister Krissa Jaeckel also voted for the first time today.

She said that in some ways, this experience felt a lot like her senior year experience — snatched away.

However, she said that coming out to vote is a great learning experience, pandemic or not.

“Having this experience also being kind of taken away from us to some extent has been difficult but it’s also a learning experience. It’s learning that everything is going to work out perfectly, but it’s keeping your head up and staying positive for the greater good,” Krissa said.

Voters told ABC57 that everything went very smoothly, and that aside from the hot weather, that there were no issues.