Etienne goes the distance to vote

On Oct. 14, an estimated 1,200 N.C. Central University students marched a few miles to vote early. The crowd was so large that only 425 were able to cast their vote.

On Nov. 2, another 2,063 students cast their votes on campus at the Miller-Morgan Health Sciences Building.

Others drove to their hometowns in North Carolina.

But sophomore Morine Etienne boarded an Amtrak train and traveled over 830 miles to Miami so her voice would be heard on Election Day.

Etienne said she has always looked forward to the opportunity to vote, so she was excited when 2004 arrived so she could cast her first vote.

Etienne, who was registered to vote in Miami, thought she had plenty of time when she called the Miami Directions Office two weeks before the election to get an absentee ballot. But she then found out the deadline had past and she would not be able to vote.

“They told me the only way I could vote would be to come to Miami,” said Etienne, whose parents are from Haiti.

Etienne was shocked. She then called the Voter Registration Hot Line.

“When I called them they didn’t understand why the Miami Directions Office didn’t give me an absentee ballot,” she said. “They told me I could vote in Durham if I faxed my parents a letter stating I was a N.C. resident and then have my parents give it to them,” she said.

“But I knew my parents would be very busy and my house in Miami is very far from the office, so I didn’t want to bother them with this.”

Many students might have given up and waited to vote in the next election, but Etienne decided to pack her bags and travel to Miami.

“I really wanted to vote, and I’m registered, so I thought, ‘Why don’t I just go home?’” said Etienne.

“I also knew if I voted in Miami I would not only be voting for the president, but governors that I thought would be the best for Miami and my family.”

She then called her brother and asked him to send her some money. The only Amtrak she could schedule left on Sunday at 10 p.m.

Etienne was worried about missing her classes so she contacted her professors.

“At first I thought that my teachers wouldn’t excuse my absences, but they did. They were very understanding about my situation,” she said.

It took Etienne 19 hours to make the trip from Durham to Miami. The ticket cost $112.

“I really wanted John Kerry to win and I’m glad I got a chance to contribute to the election,” said Etienne.

Even though Kerry did not win, Etienne has no regrets about making the trip.

“I’m glad I went to Miami to vote,” she said. “If I didn’t go…I didn’t want that thought lingering over me. You can only do so much. And at least I know I tried.”

Etienne said she would have no problem doing it over again. “Even though Kerry didn’t win, this trip was definitely worth it.”