WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Large numbers of citizens turned out here to vote yesterday, encountering pleasant weather, long lines, thousands of Democratic and Republican volunteers and an endless sea of red, white and blue campaign signs.
Polling sites in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia all report very heavy turnout, according to volunteers distributing campaign literature and sample ballots. Despite prior predictions of heavy turnout, many volunteers said they were taken aback by the long lines, which ranged from a 30-minute wait in some places to more than an hour in others, such as at Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, Md.
"It's unbelievable," Republican Precinct Captain Lee Knapp said at Whitman.
At places such as the Vienna Community Center in Vienna, Va., turnout remained strong even during the mid-morning hours, which traditionally are less crowded than the morning and evening rush hours.
"I've been doing this for 36 years, and I've never seen lines like this, at this hour," Democratic volunteer Nancy Ruff said at the community center.
Each locality featured its own races, such as for the House of Representatives and school board positions. Virginians voted on two state constitutional amendments and Fairfax County residents also decided whether to approve several bonds. Montgomery County residents in Maryland weighed in on a Senate race and judges in elected positions.
Voters, however, were focusing on the presidential race, according to Ann Humphrey, a Democratic precinct chairman at the Little Flower School in Bethesda, Md.
"No one is interested in my sample ballot," Humphrey said.
Most polling sites appeared to be free of voting difficulties. In Maryland, where new electronic touch-screen voting machines have been criticized for their vulnerability to hacking and lack of paper receipts for voters, volunteers said they had heard few complaints.
"As far as we're hearing, they're working very well," said Mimi Magyar, a nonpartisan volunteer at Bethesda/Chevy-Chevy Chase Senior High School in Maryland.
Although local races spurred many volunteers to participate, others said they came to the polls to support one of the presidential candidates.
Outside Annunciation Catholic Church here, Republican volunteer Teresa Adams said she volunteered in part to support a friend running for school board but also to support President Bush.
"We are the champions for our candidates," Adams said.
In spite of the intensity surrounding the election, voters and volunteers said the overall atmosphere remained positive at the polls.
"People here are very polite," Humphrey said. "It's very civil."
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