AUSTIN, Texas — The 2024 election will be filled with first-time voters, and that was the case for 18-year-old Ella Kopp, who made sure her vote counted.
The Louisiana State University (LSU) student from Austin said she applied for an absentee ballot in early October through Travis County and was notified that it was approved. However, according to Kopp, she ran into trouble when she realized it hadn’t come in on time.
“I never received my ballot,” said Kopp.
Kopp then made the decision to make the hourslong journey back home to the capital city to cast her ballot in person on Election Day. The college student hopped on a bus to Houston, then her father picked her up and drove her back to Austin.
“I was like, you know, I need to vote. This election is too important for me to just sit here in Louisiana and not go back home,” said Kopp.
Kopp noted that she knew of several other people who flew back to Texas to vote because they also didn’t receive their absentee ballots. She hopes the county looks into the issue for the future to help college students like her get their ballots on time.
After she cast her vote for the very first time, Kopp made the trek back to LSU. She hopes others also took the opportunity to vote and make their voices heard.
“I feel like it’s really easy to think that they do vote won’t count because it’s just one person,” said Kopp, “I think everyone’s vote counts.”