The Commons facade was awash in red, white and blue lights and balloons lined the dining hall where hundreds of students gathered to celebrate the end of the day in which most of them cast their first ballots for president.

Housed in The Commons, Election GameDay sought to capture the attention of first-time voters. Shuttles departed from Peabody campus all day to bus
students to cast votes for the first time.

Multiple big screens projected minute-by-minute coverage of election developments. Freedom Sings of the First Amendment Center performed familiar folk and soul tunes. Vanderbilt Dining served platters featuring American classics meatloaf, mashed potatoes and apple pie.

"It is exciting to see people voting and watching the election returns. It indicates a healthy democracy," said senior Kevin Duong.

"I am impressed with the turnout," said sophomore Eliza Horn. "The young vote is important. This election has challenged ideas of political activism at Vandy."

Featuring election game cards and photo-ops with cutouts of the candidates, the event presented both the playful and competitive sides to election politics.

"We called this Election Game Day because like sports, this is competitive and fun but also unifying," said event co-chair junior Sarah McKibben.

The event was the culmination of a series organized by the Election Alliance.

"This is a truly coalition effort," said event co-chair junior Alexandra Tennant.

"We wanted to bring everyone together in one place to experience this monumental election."