All day Erica Garman, along with our Living in LoCo correspondents - Val Cavalheri, Marie Bertozzi, Dave Nemetz, Tom Regan, Amanda Carruthers, Kim Gabaldon and Tammi Marcoullier - are sending Election Day updates from throughout Loudoun County. Share your own experiences below.

Missed it by that much: At 7:05 p.m., I got a robocall from Barack Obama himself, asking me to vote for him in Virginia.

-- Tom Regan, 7:07 p.m.

Polls have now closed.

-- The Editors, 7 p.m.

One last check at the polls at Lovettsville Elementary: Not many people in line, but as I walked in the door, one of the poll assistants looked at me with a big grin and said, "We've had 1,500 people today."

Turns out she was right. I talked to Frank Petramalo, the chief electoral officer here, and he told me that by 6 p.m., 78 percent of the 2,100 people eligible to vote in east Lovettsville had come to the school to vote.

Petramalo said in the 10 years he has been working elections in Lovettsville, he's never seen a turnout like today's.

"It's a record for sure. We'll hit 80 percent by 7 for sure," he added.

One final note: It seems that the voters of Lovettsville east like their paper ballots. Given the choice between paper and touch screen, eight out of 10 selected paper.

-- Tom Regan, 6:36 p.m.

It's raining in South Riding, and no one seems to know how that will affect the rest of the evening. But as of this moment, things are calm. Little River is showing about 3,300 people have already voted, and Hutchinson has seen about 2,300 people come through (out of roughly 3,800 registered voters).

As the evening wears on, people I spoke to seem to be more comfortable telling me for whom they cast their vote. Susan Constantino, a self-proclaimed conservative Republican expressed concern about the outcome of the election, saying she would be horrified if the results showed an Obama win.

Katie Bowen agreed, saying: “I believe in freedom and in those that fight to keep us free. I believe in free enterprise, volunteer service and that this is the greatest country in the world. Keeping country first and government limited, I voted McCain/Palin.”

Mary Myers took the other position: “My feelings on this election - primarily one of relief. I'm glad it's over."

"I always thought it would be cool to live in a battleground state - all the attention being on your state -but this election showed me just how annoying this is," she added. "I'm tired of all the flyers and doorbell ringers, and MOST of all, the phone calls, both the robo-type and live. I think people are scared, scared about things they didn't think they'd ever have to worry about: losing their home, being able to pay for groceries, watching the value of their 401(k) plummet. I think people think McCain would mean more of the same policies that got us here."

But it was Tricia Haneghan who summed up the day: "We are always excited on Election Day. No matter who wins, we, as a family, celebrate the peaceful exchange of power. We’re a great country. Along the same lines, we will take our kids out of school on Jan. 20 to go down on the Mall to see the actual peaceful exchange of power. Again, no matter who wins, we are lucky to live in a country where the people elect our leaders, and where outgoing leaders gracefully hand over their positions."

-- Val Cavalheri, 5:55 p.m.

For the commenter - and other readers - who are from Sterling, we didn't forget about you!

At 3 p.m., there were more election workers at the Sterling Middle School polling location than there were voters.

Precinct chief Ann Ludwick said that 880 of the precinct’s 1,700 registered voters had already cast their ballots, and election workers were expecting another bump in voters later this afternoon as more folks arrive home from work.

Retiree Peggy Dick, a resident of Sterling since 1975, was surprised at how smooth the voting process was this election.

“I was expecting more people,” she said.

Polling stations at Park View High School in Sterling (Photo by Erica Garman)

Issues such as the economy, Social Security and health care played a significant role in Dick’s voting selection, she said, adding that she voted for Obama.

David Murphy, who recently moved to Winchester from Sterling, returned today to his old precinct to vote. “[Voting] was easy,” he said. “Not like what I saw on TV.”

Murphy, a veteran, voted for McCain.

The voting at Park View High School, right down the road from Sterling Middle School, was similarly slow during this voting lull.

“We’ve had about 55 percent vote already,” said precinct chief Van Rouse. “Our first voter was in line at 4:40 a.m. By 6 a.m., we had 150 in line and by 6:30 a.m. there were 250 folks here.”

Meaza Habtesion left happy after voting this afternoon at Park View High with her three children in tow.

“I drove by and was going to leave and come back if the line was long,” she said.

She didn’t have to wait in line at all.

Like other precinct chiefs, Rouse expects another rush of voters later this afternoon up until the polls close at 7 p.m.

-- Erica Garman, 4:52 p.m.

I was at Mercer Middle School this morning at 5:45 a.m. because I (foolishly) thought that I would be only one of a handful who had woken up early enough to get there before the polls opened. But that was not the case. The parking lot was completely full, and I had to park on a side street. As I approached and entered the line (which was already back by the baseball field), an official walked by and said that the person standing two people behind me was the 300th person in line and more were streaming in. The polls opened promptly at 6 a.m. and from there, it took a total of 45 minutes for me to get through the line and cast my ballot.

Everyone in line was making jokes and were very pleasant. Many neighbors waved hello and laughed at how they thought they were going to "beat the crowd." The officials were well prepared, with many on hand to make sure that people got in the correct line and that everyone was served as quickly as possible.

My husband voted later in the day at 10:30 a.m. and said that for his line, (the early alphabet letters) there were only about six people. For people with last names that started with letters in the middle of the alphabet, that line had about 30 people waiting - not too bad, considering what the morning looked like.

-- Marie Bertozzi, 4:43 p.m.

Chris DeSilva looks dead tired.

"I only got one hour of sleep last night," he told me with a smile.

Diann Landau of Lovettsville, Chris DeSilva of New York and Millie Bowers of Lovettsville worked for the Obama campaign just outside the Lovettsville Community Center polling station. (Photo by Tom Regan)

It's been a long four days for DeSilva. He arrived here Friday night from Columbia University in New York along with 130 other students to campaign for the Democrats. The group was brought here by the Judy Feder campaign, and so they didn't have to pay for a thing.

Since Friday, they've been canvassing in the area. DeSilva said he was primarily working in areas where they knew Democrats lived, making sure they got out to vote today. He's a realist - he knows it's a Republican area, but he said it's been about 50-50 as far as what people have told him about how they plan to vote.

But DeSilva told me as much as he liked being here in Loudoun, he won't be sticking around to wait for the election results. He and his fellow students are headed back to New York in a couple of hours.

"We want to be back at Columbia in time to party," he confessed.

-- Tom Regan, 3:30 p.m.

Things have calmed down in the community center in western Lovettsville. When I went to the poll around 2:30 p.m., only three people were there, either already voting or about to vote. Raphael Jeu, the chief electoral officer at this polling station. told me that things had been steady all day.

"We had an initial rush of around 100 people in the first hour today," Jeu said. "It's been steady since then, but nothing we can't handle."

Jeu said he expected voting to pick up around 4 as people start to get home from work. But overall, it's been calm.

"I haven't had to break up any fistfights yet," he joked.

-- Tom Regan, 3:10 p.m.

I just received another update from Charlie Jackson with the LCDC. He wrote in to say that as of 1 p.m., 70 percent of registered voters in the West Leesburg precinct have voted, including absentee voters.

-- Erica Garman, 2:36 p.m.

Whether luck or strategic timing, those who hit the sweet spot in the post-morning rush hour, pre-lunch break polls in Ashburn experienced smooth operations.

9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at Cedar Lane Elementary School: Voters said they planned on waiting an hour or more, only to find they were done in less than 30 minutes. An abundance of volunteers were on hand to help voters with any questions, including a table where voters could learn about their rights.

An election official wore his badge prominently and happily made his way through those who were exiting to ensure that they had an uneventful experience. Plenty of parking spots were available, even with parent/teacher meetings going on at the same time.

10:30 to 11:15 a.m. at Broad Run High School: The parking lot was packed, so we braced ourselves for a wait and wished we had brought snacks for the kids. Various campaign volunteers cheerfully handed out materials and sample ballots. The McCain volunteer gushed a very sincere "Thank you!" to everyone who would take a sample ballot from her. Judy Feder had two dedicated volunteers promoting her policies who spent their down time debating issues like paper vs. electronic voting.

Of the group that went through with us, most people diplomatically took sample ballots from both campaigns. The rest made sure they held their choice ballot prominently outward throughout the registration process.

Just steps inside the building entrance, a poll volunteer talked with everyone to ensure that they were not armed with cell phones, iPods or other electronic devices. Then, the next line of volunteers shuttled voters to appropriate alphabetical lines to be signed in.

The longest lines were at the electronic voting booths. But most voters chose the paper ballots and moved quickly. That potential long wait manifested to a reality of 12 minutes door-to-door because volunteers kept voters moving quickly and efficiently through lines. From my unofficial headcount, they got about 150 people through in 30 minutes.

At the end of the process, recycling boxes were full and voters and their children walked out smiling with their presidential seal "I voted" stickers.

Upon exiting to the parking lot, a woman was gathering signatures to move the proposed Broadlands Regional Medical Center to a location along Rt. 50. There were a handful of signatures on her page, but she wasn't getting much traffic or response. Maybe there was some influence from this week's BRMC mailing that showed a population density graphic of eastern Loudoun -- Dulles South being the least populated compared to the Rt. 7 corridor and Ashburn.

-- Tammi Marcoullier, 1:50 p.m. (You can find Tammi's blog at here.

I just heard from Mayor Bob Lazaro of Purcellville. He messaged to say that as of 1 p.m. the number of people who voted in the Purcellville precinct has already exceeded the entire voter turnout for the 2004 presidential election (around 2,900) for the precinct. When you add in absentees, a little more than 3,000 people have voted so far. There are still six hours of voting left.

--Erica Garman, 1:48 p.m.

I just left Newton-Lee. The lines were steady with waits ranging from 30 to 60 minutes between 10 a.m. and noon. After noon, the lines thinned and the waits reduced to about 10 to 15 minutes.

This morning was a different story with lines of cars outside the school about half a mile in each direction. Voters started arriving at 4:45 a.m. and by 6 a.m. there was a 90-minute wait.

The waiting area for Newton-Lee Elementary at 10:30 a.m. (Photo by Kim Gabaldon)

At 10 a.m., Newton-Lee had about 1,250 votes with fewer than 5 provisional votes.

One election official was asked to cover his Obama coffee cup with stickers. He was verifying addresses, and a voter complained that he referenced the cup at check-in.

The main concern at our polling location - and it seems at some others, from what I've heard - was the touch-screen option. When a voter enlarged the font from the default font, Obama and Biden were the only options on the screen. The voters needed to page down to select McCain/Palin, who were listed on page 2 with the list of Independent candidates. We were told by the election officials that they were aware of this concern before the election and that it was a "page-break" issue in the software. They explained that the volunteers working the touch screens were trained to explain to each voter that they needed to page down to view all candidates because of this concern. But we heard from many voters who were not given these instructions.

-- Kim Gabaldon, 1:42 p.m. (Kim was volunteering with the local Republican Party at Newton-Lee.)

Voters are still trickling in to Ashburn Elementary, Belmont Ridge, Seldens Landing, Harper Park and Tolbert Elementary precincts. As of 1 p.m., Belmont Ridge had a turnout of more than 50 percent. At Harper Park, it was about 40 percent turnout so far.

-- Dave Nemetz, 1:36 p.m.

Election Day = Free Stuff

Since it’s lunchtime, I thought I’d check out the election freebies touted by local eateries.

At 10:30 a.m., I picked up a free tall coffee at the Leesburg Starbucks on East Market Street. The barista who took my order estimated the store had given away more than 100 free coffees this morning, starting at 5 a.m. Most of the folks I encountered in line weren’t taking advantage of the free offer, opting instead to “fancy up” their drinks.

From Starbucks, I traveled east on Route 7 and visited the Chick-fil-A in Dulles near Lowes. It was a little before 11 a.m., right before the busy lunch rush, said the manager.

A line at the Leesburg Starbucks (Photo by Erica Garman)

I wasn’t super-hungry for my free chicken sandwich at this time - but hey, it was free.

Since my 11 a.m. visit however, the Chick-fil-A corporate office called the Loudoun owners and told them to stop giving away the free sandwiches. Apparently, there’s a law on the books that by giving away freebies to voters, the restaurants would be discriminating against non-voters. Whatever. (For more on that, check out this AP story.)

But there still is a way to score that free chicken sandwich. Starting tomorrow, Loudoun Chick-fil-As will trade customers a freebie for a campaign sign. Bring in a candidate yard sign during the next few days (until Saturday), and you’ll be treated to a free Chick-fil-A sandwich. (Limit one per person per visit.)

Bill Digges, owner of the store on Dulles Crossing Plaza, said the sign promotion will be honored at all Loudoun Chick-fil-A stores and is endorsed locally by the Loudoun County Democrats and Republicans.

Chick-fil-A will recycle the signs they receive, Digges said. What a great way to get rid of all this road spam!

After Chick-fil-A, I drove over and marched up to the second floor of the Dulles Town Center to see if the Ben and Jerry’s ice cream place was giving away free cones, as I’d heard on the radio. Yes, they are, but only this evening between the hours of 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. Oh well.

California Tortilla is also offering free taco coupons today at area stores. For other deals, check out Renee Ventrice's list on her Web site.

Heard of any other area freebies? If so, post them below.

-- Erica Garman, 1:10 p.m.

The line for people with last names starting with J through S at Little River Elementary (Photo by Val Cavalheri)

After a record turnout and long lines early this morning, all South Riding polls are experiencing a steady, yet manageable, flow of voters.

At Little River, as I noted earlier, the only long line was for people with last names starting with J through S.

“I wish I had married someone whose last name began with either A through C or T through Z," said Lisa Pitarque, “but even so, I was in and out in 30 minutes.”

Desiree Toler agreed, expressing surprise that “on this day and age” there was only one touch-screen voting booth. As of 11:30 a.m., more than 2,000 people had voted in the precinct, where about 4,900 voters are registered.

Volunteers were, as usual, handing out sample ballots for both candidates.

On the corner of the school, three were holding up Obama signs and waving at the passing cars. Drivers either ignored them or gave them a thumbs up or down sign. The volunteers said they were there to build morale and to give Obama voters a connection within South Riding, which they are hoping will turn Democratic this year.

Colleen Dixon said that she had never seen such passion or interest for an election in the past. “I know we’re creating history,” she said, “and I want to be part of it.”

Toler echoed Dixon's sentiment: “I felt emotional before I voted. No matter who wins this election, we are making history and I am so proud to be an American.”

As to the other issues on the ballot, like most, Dixon felt that she wasn’t as prepared and that press coverage had been obscured by the bigger presidential picture.

-- Val Cavalheri, 12:30 p.m.

Alan Letzt, member of the Loudoun Democrats, is reporting that the early long lines at polling stations in Philomont and St. Louis have tapered off but are still seeing a steady stream of voters. In Middleburg, voting has been steady with no line build up.

Another Loudoun Democrat, David Weintraub, said that as of 9 a.m. Lucketts had seen 50 percent of the voter turnout it saw all day on Election Day 2004.

-- Erica Garman, 12:08 p.m.

I was just at Newton-Lee Elementary School, and the line is about 30 minutes long. I couldn't find a parking spot in the lot, so I decided to vote later. Some people are parking across the street.

The traffic at the intersection of Gloucester Parkway and Palmer Classic was moving slowly. People have to be pretty careful coming in and out of the school there.

-- Amanda Carruthers, 11:19 a.m.

I just drove by the school and community center in Lovettsville. Both parking lots are full of cars and at the community center, cars are also lined up along Lovettsville main street.

Just a quick note about how hard the Obama campaign was pushing for votes yesterday.

I'm a 52-year-old white male in rural Virginia, which I guess makes me a prime target. The Obama campaign called me SIX times yesterday to see if I had decided how I was going to vote. One was a robocall from Missouri and one a live call from Ohio. I wasn't completely surprised at this, since during the weeks leading up to the convention, I received at least 12 pieces of mail from Obama - often big and glossy - eight phone calls and two canvassers at the door.

I didn't, however, receive a single piece of mail from the McCain/Palin campaign, although I did get two robocalls. On the local level, Republican Frank Wolf was much more active. I received about five pieces of mail from Wolf and several phone calls. Only one flyer came from Judy Feder.

-- Tom Regan, 10:15 a.m.

Rita (who declined to give her last name), a voter who just returned from voting at Little River, complained that the line behind the letters J through S is out the door, while all the others lines were empty. She’s full of anticipation about the presidential race, thinking that it is very, very close.

As for the local issues - she knew about three of the ballot questions but was surprised about the meal tax. She wishes she had known more about it.

-- Val Cavalheri, 10:09 a.m.

The lines have cleared at the Ashburn Elementary, Belmont Ridge, Seldens Landing, Harper Park and Tolbert Elementary precincts now. People can get in and out without a wait at all. Parking lots are still a little crowded, but people can find spots.

From Belmont Ridge Middle School, I'm hearing that the turnout there as of 9:30 a.m. is estimated at about 25 percent to 30 percent of that precinct's registered voters.

-- Dave Nemetz, 10:03 a.m.

The lines were long, but the election workers were efficient. That was my experience this morning at Hillside Elementary School in Ashburn, where I cast my ballot.

Like the other 60 or so voters in front of me at 5:35 a.m., I wanted to make sure I got my vote in, not knowing what the rest of the day would bring. Gary Thomas of Broadlands was in line early because he has kid duty. He took a vacation day from his job in Fairfax, as his wife is a Loudoun County Public School teacher who has to work today - even though the students have the day off.

“I figured I’d go ahead and vote early to free up the rest of the day,” he said.

Stacy Smith brought his kids with him to vote. (Photo by Erica Garman)

Other voters I spoke with had to head off to a full day of work. Stacy Smith brought his children, ages 10 and 4, with him to vote before dropping them off at daycare. John Murphy, who ran for Dulles District supervisor in 2001, was heading to his job in Maryland after casting a ballot.

By 5:45 a.m., the line had surged to about 160 voters. At 6 a.m. the school doors opened, and the first 75 or so in line were ushered inside and corralled to another formation of lines based on the first letter of our last names.

Poll worker Brian Miller queried the lines, asking if anyone wanted to double check his or her voting status; On an election-office-issued Palm Pilot, Miller quickly verified for the gentleman in front of me that he was indeed at the correct polling station.

The man told me, “We just moved here, so it’s nice to make sure I’m at the right location.”

By 6:20 a.m., I was out the door, proudly displaying my “I Voted” sticker.

“That went pretty smooth,” said John Walters, who was gathered with his wife and a few friends outside the door. “I wonder what it will be like the rest of the day."

Let us know about your voting experience in the comments field below. Who do you think will win Loudoun?

Here are my amateur predictions: Obama, Warner, Wolf, No to the Food and Beverage Tax, Yes to Fire & Rescue Station, Yes to the Ashburn/Dulles Elementary School, Yes to Dulles Area High School.

-- Erica Garman, 9:27 a.m.

Charlie Jackson of the LCDC just messaged to say that about an hour ago he heard reports of continuing long lines at Cedar Lane and Smarts Mill.

-- Erica Garman, 9:17 a.m.

From outside of Hutchinson, it looks as if the lines are way down, with the wait time now about 15 minutes.

Sarah Lichter of South Riding was proudly wearing her "I voted" sticker, which she said is “much fancier than in presidential years past.” She added: “I literally jumped out of bed today in anticipation of voting, and I am both excited and anxious about the results of this race.”

Suzanne Rhodes of South Riding said she is excited to see how the day unfolds. She said she was pretty sure that Obama is going to win. As for local issues, she was not in favor of the meal tax and said she was voting against it.

-- Val Cavalheri, 8:55 a.m.

David D’Onofrio, the communications chair for the Loudoun County Republican Committee, messaged me to say that lines have been quite long but moving quickly – a hat tip to Loudoun County election workers. Numbers are way up. Tolbert had about 600 votes by 8:15 a.m., not including touch screen votes.

"There is great enthusiasm for the Republican sample ballot, and people are turning out strong for McCain/Palin," he said.

-- Erica Garman, 8:37 a.m.

The line at Little River Elementary School wrapped around the building. (Photo by Val Cavalheri)

I just went to three voting places at the opening of the polls: Little River Elementary School, Hutchinson Farm Elementary and Freedom High School. To say I was awed would be an understatement. Having worked at Little River as an election officer in the past, I can tell you that there were more people in line at 6:15 a.m. than all the people who had voted during non-presidential years at that precinct.

I have never seen anything like it. Neither had anyone else in line. I was told that people had started lining up at 4:30 a.m. I could see approximately 300 people, and I heard there were about 100 people more once you went through the doors. The line was moving steadily, but people knew that they were there for a period of time.

People said they came out for a variety of reasons: Rosie Garant, of South Riding said she just wanted to vote, as she always had, before heading off to work. Sisters Rachel and Nicole Wilson of South Riding said they were excited to be taking part in this historic election. They were in line at Freedom at 5:45 a.m. In 45 minutes, they were done. Rachel, 28, admitted that this election was only the second time she had voted. Both praised the organized way everything had been handled by the county.

Barbara Wasserman, who hoped to vote before she went to work, took a look at the line and left, deciding to try again later in the day. We’ll catch up with her later and see if this was a good decision.

-- Val Cavalheri, 7:50 a.m.

The lines around Ashburn Elementary, Belmont Ridge, Seldens Landing, Harper Park and Tolbert Elementary have subsided to about a 20-to-30-minute wait now. Those precincts have a lot of voting machines, so they are really running through it pretty well.

-- Dave Nemetz, 7:49 a.m.

Charlie Jackson, communications chair for LCDC, messaged me to say that the lines in Hillsboro and Purcellville are quite long as well.

-- Erica Garman, 7:27 a.m.

My husband left our home in Belmont at about 5:55 a.m. to go vote at Newton-Lee Elementary School at 6 a.m. He couldn't even get into the parking lot. There were already cars on the shoulders, and the lot was packed. He is going to come home around 2 p.m. so he will vote then.

-- Amanda Carruthers, 7:16 a.m. (Amanda, the vice president of the Loudoun County Republican Women's Club, is volunteering for the local Republican Party at the polls.)

When I hauled myself out of bed this morning in order to vote at 6 a.m., I wasn't sure what to expect when my wife and I got to the polls. I was hoping that by being there just as the polls opened, I would avoid a rush.

No such luck. There were long lines at both polling stations in Lovettsville, particularly at the community center. At my poll, the Lovettsville Elementary School, we took our place at the back of the line, far down the school corridor from the gym where the actual voting was happening. Surprisingly, people weren't talking about the election as much as I thought they might be. Most of the talk was about being able to get to work on time and who was watching the kids at home. The woman in front of me said, "I told my husband he should get out of bed and come and vote now. He's going to be sorry he didn't. It'll be even longer later today."

We stood in line for half an hour. In all the elections in which I've voted, in two different countries, I've never had to stand in line ever before today. Inside the gym, people lined up behind each other again, ballots in hand, waiting to move into the small shielded tabletop enclosures that were provided for privacy. But some people didn't want to wait, and just sat down at a table beside each other and filled out their ballots.

And this was a bit odd. We were offered either paper ballots or touch screen voting. About 80 percent of the people selected paper. There was only one touch screen voting machine in the poll, and it sat out in the open. It was pretty easy for people to watch you vote. An election official stood beside the machine and basically watched how each person voted. I'm sure he was there just to help in case of confusion, but it sort of undermined the idea behind the secret ballot.

-- Tom Regan, 7:03 a.m.

Brian Miller, on the right, a poll worker at Hillside Elementary School, uses a Palm Pilot to check people’s voting status in line. (Photo by Erica Garman)

Gwen Reynolds, the precinct chief at Hillside Elementary School said this precinct has 3,200 registered voters, and they are expecting an 80 percent turnout today.

Tim Buchholz, the Loudoun County Democratic Committee chair, was told Mercer Middle School currently has 400 to 500 voters in line. Freedom High School had 50 voters in line at 5:30 a.m. Tag Greason with the Loudoun County Republican Committee messaged me to say he had been to four polling stations this morning, and they are all packed. The parking lots were full before 6 a.m.

-- Erica Garman, 6:58 a.m.

In a quick drive around northern Leesburg, I saw that five of the area's precincts were brimming with people. At Belmont Ridge Middle School, more than 300 people were already in line, and the precinct only serves about 4,000 people, according to one of the outside poll workers.

The situation was similar at Ashburn Elementary School, Seldens Landing Elementary School, John W. Tolbert Jr. Elementary School and Harper Park Middle School. Parking is a premium at all of the locations.

-- Dave Nemetz, 6:45 a.m. (Dave is volunteering for the local Democratic Party by driving around to polling stations.)

I voted early last week in anticipation of covering the election for Living in LoCo. I've voted in every election as long as I've been able to vote and have always thought of it as my duty to do so. I waited for about half an hour in a line on Oct. 28 with many other early voters. No one was grumbling about the wait. Poll workers were friendly and helpful, and the entire process was handled well. As I left, the line had approximately tripled in the number of voters who had come to cast their ballots.

After all the hype, after all the debates and calls and arguments, my part was over, and I had a resolute feeling about the entire thing. There was also, for me, the feeling that I had just taken part and contributed to a historic moment.

-- Val Cavalheri, 6 a.m.