Even college students woke up before the crack of dawn this morning to vote.

When Tim McNabb, a poll manager, arrived at St. Louis University’s student center at 5 a.m., about four students were already waiting in line to vote. Were any of them in sleeping bags?

“No,” McNabb said. “No sleeping bags. This isn’t concerts tickets or anything.”

But still, by 6 a.m., when polls opened, the line creeped along the hallway, making for a 45 minute wait to vote. Students read engineering books and textbooks while waiting in line. Many were dressed in sweat pants and athletic shorts — the uniform of most college students.

About 2,200 SLU students are registered to vote at the student center — the first time in recent memory that SLU has had a polling place on campus. Students asked administrators for a place to vote on campus so they wouldn’t have to walk to a polling place a couple miles away, said Stacy Vojta, a SLU sophomore with the SLU Students for Voters’ Rights.

This morning, Vojta was handing out chocolate chip cookies to students in line — cookies she was up to 1 a.m. making. But she didn’t mind. She was too excited about the election to get much sleep anyway. She was already mostly out of cookies by 8:15 a.m., but her friend was bringing her reinforcements later in the day. She also had candy on hand to give to students in line.

“People are just really excited to vote,” she said. “I’m surprised people came out so early, especially for college students.”

In the last couple of days, she said her non-partisan group went door-to-door in residence halls, encouraging students to make it to the polls.

About 6 students were working at the site as poll workers. McNabb, whose worked at polling places in 5 previous elections, said working with this students this year has been the most fun for him.

“In other places, you have to be more formal,” he said.

At SLU, the students are professional and cooperative — but also are a bit more lighthearted, he said.

For instance, some poll workers greeted voters by asking them: “Paper ballot or plastic?”

McNabb recalled another poll worker observing, “Smell that? That’s the smell of freedom.”