High Voter Turnout at Burke Precincts for Election Day

Voters in the Burke area braved a chilly morning and long lines at precincts to cast their vote for their presidential, Senate and U.S. House picks and more on Tuesday morning.

Over at the Commons Community Center, precinct 127 Burke Centre, more than 1,100 voters had cast their ballots by 9:45 a.m. The precinct counted 650 voters checked in shortly after 8 a.m.

The long lines and parking woes didn't seem to deter many voters.

"I've been waiting for about 45 minutes, but it's worth it," said Meagan James, who said she was voting to reelect President Obama "because I agree with a lot of his policies."

Another voter, who did not disclose his name, said he was closely following the Senate election between former Virginia governors George Allen (R) and Tim Kaine (D).

"I'm voting for Kaine, but I know lots of folks are pulling for Allen, so we'll see," he said.

Lake Braddock Secondary School served as the voting location for two precincts, Precinct 118 Lake Braddock and Precinct 125 Signal Hill. Around 9 a.m., the line extended down one of the high school's hallways.

Precinct Chief Officer Michael Ray Duerksens said the turnout was pretty steady all morning. As of 9:17 a.m., 716 voters checked in at the precinct.

"We usually get a 10 to 15-minute break during elections where there's a drop, but I don't expect to see a lull today," said Duerkens.

The line for the electronic stations was longer than the line for paper ballots, which Duerkens said is pretty typical. To assist with the high volume of voters, Duerkens said there were more staff members on hand including two assistant precinct chiefs and four extra poll workers compared to previous elections.

Duerkens guesses that the average turnout for the precinct will be higher for this election than in previous ones, but he couldn't say with certainty since there were more than seven hours left until polls closed.

Did you vote this morning? How was your voter experience? Tell us in the comments!