Voters culminate presidential campaign, swarm to polls
— -- Presidential contenders Barack Obama and John McCain joined millions of voters across the country in casting their ballots Tuesday then hit the campaign trail one last time to try to rally their supporters.
In an historic election that included the first African-American nominee of a major party and the first female nominee for vice president, lines began forming as early as 4 a.m. in many states.
Obama, the Democratic nominee, led in national polls and appeared to have the edge in key battleground states, but Republicans also expressed optimism that McCain, his GOP rival, could put together the 270 electoral votes needed to claim the presidency.
By tradition, the small New Hampshire community of Dixville Notch cast its ballots shortly after midnight and released the results: Obama 15, McCain 6.
Except for snow in the Rockies and Northwest and rain along the Mid-Atlanitc coast, weather did not appear to be a factor in voter turnout, which was heavy in some states.
In Columbus, Ohio, voting appeared to go smoothly, with most polling places experiencing short lines or no lines after an original burst of early morning voting.
Four years ago, the state suffered long voting lines on election day, forcing some voters to wait more than six hours to cast their ballot.
This year, at least 1.5 million of Ohio's 8 million voters took advantage of absentee voting that permitted casting ballots by mail or in-person at election offices. The state has also added thousands of new voting machines to reduce waiting.
"I'm worried as can be, but things have worked smoothly for the most part," said Denise Sinkfield, the election supervisor at a large polling station at the Driving Park Recreation Center.
In Raleigh, N.C., where voters turned out despite a steady rain, Jimmie Taylor, 52, a truck driver who was voting for the first time in the ten years, said the economy was his chief concern.
"People don't have jobs, and we need a change," Taylor said, adding that he also was drawn to Obama because of his eloquence. "He talks good, I like what he says."
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