Rachel Dejmal is not a professor or even a graduate teaching assistant at Wichita State.

Even so, she said she would like to lecture to some students – those who don’t vote.

“If you don’t vote, you don’t have the right to complain that you’re not represented properly,” Dejmal, an English literature senior, said.

Tuesday was Election Day in the U.S., and pitted Democratic President Barack Obama against Republican challenger Mitt Romney, a former Massachusetts Governor. Also, 33 U.S. Senate elections were held, all 435 U.S. Congressional candidates faced re-election; and state and local elections were held. 

WSU freshman Luke Williams won’t have to worry about Dejmal lecturing to him. 

“It’s exciting to be able to decide who’s going to be the next president,” he said. “It feels good to live where you can vote for your leaders.”

Williams said he wished he had better candidates to choose from.

“I was hoping for better candidates. I really don’t like either candidate,” he said.

Sophomore Carissa Ochsner voted by absentee ballot. She said it was not easy.

“I feel kind of uninformed. There’s four parties, but we only hear about the Democratic party and the Republican party,” Ochsner said. “I didn’t know about the Libertarian and Reform parties.”

That may have taken some of the excitement out of voting for the first time for her.

“I don’t feel like it’s that big of a deal because I’m not really for either candidate,” she said.

Dejmal said she would probably vote for Obama, although he may not be her first choice.

“I’d like to vote Green, but I’d like my vote to count,” she said. 

Dejmal said this is the second presidential election she has voted in. Since then, she said she has become more interested in issues, not just candidates.

“I watch the news more,” she said. “I just think I’ve been getting older than four years (ago). I’m more aware.”

Dejmal said this awareness piqued her interest in the vote regarding having fluoride in Wichita drinking water.

“This time I’m more concerned about local issues like fluoridation,” she said, adding that she is in favor or it. “It was in the news a lot.”

Freshman Connor Park is voting for the first time.

“It definitely feels interesting. I’m getting my word in,” he said. “It felt pretty good knowing that I was old enough to do something like that. I do feel a little bit grown up.”

He believes that this close election will result in some modification in the country’s direction during the next four years.

“I know that probably one way or another, change is probably going to happen,” Park said. 

He expects Kansas to endorse Romney.

“This is mostly a Republican state and so it’s probably not going to do much in influencing the vote for the most part,” Park said.

Ochsner said it is still worth the effort to go to the polls.

“I’d say it’s close,” she said.