2008 Voting Blog

5:55 p.m. Antonia Wilson said she voted for who she described as the "best candidate," Sen. Barack Obama.

"What he's speaking about, he's more for the people, more for the United States," she said. "He's more for us."

Pat Booth, of West Graham Street, said her vote went to Republican Sen. John McCain.

"I think he has more experience," said Booth. "I think that he will give the country a little more confidence, give other countries an image of more confidence."

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5:46 p.m. Light is definitely an issue now. Supporters look more like shadowy silhouettes than vocal campaigners.

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5:40 p.m. Wow. Shelby City Park is filled with voting signs (outside the gymnasium, at least) but only a few supporters are among the cardboard and plastic forest.

Interesting. Much like Grover Street Fire Department, vehicles are everywhere but there's hardly anyone around.

Wait, speak of the devil. Five people just left the polling location and another one is entering.

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5:36 p.m. Traffic is heavy on Grover Street. Voter turnout or just rush hour? I can't help but wonder.

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5:34 p.m. On the move again, this time to Shelby City Park.

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5:31 p.m. Night is falling and more supporters are using layered clothing to their advantage. A few people are huddled around a heater (pictured in the streaming dashcam footage, if you're following the live broadcast).

The crowd at Grover Street is comparable to that of Shelby's No. 2 precinct, though the stream of voters seems slightly less.

Three voters declined to comment on their presidential choices.

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5:24 p.m. Parking is a precious commodity at the Grover Street Fire Department. Cars are lined up in the grass nearly everywhere. The next-door Kwik-N-Klean car wash is also filling up with would-be voters.

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5:19 p.m. Departed the senior center.

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5:06 p.m. Turnout is, at least now, significantly less at the Neal Smith Senior Center than that of Shelby's No. 2 precinct. There are a few voters coming and going, but traffic in general hardly compares.

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SENATE DISTRICT 46 UPDATE:

5 p.m. Les Roark, sporting a blue Keith Melton support shirt, says Melton will make a good senator because of his experience as Rutherford County Clerk of Court.

"He's well-qualified, he's well educated," said Roark. "Being a county Clerk of Superior Court is one of the most challenging county employees. They have a lot of things to keep up with."

Dan Brown, decked out in Debbie Clary gear, believes Clary's support for outdoorsmen is an important component of her campaign.

"She's been supportive of hunters, shooters and sportsmen in North Carolina," he said. "She has the experience in the House of Representatives. I think she has the experience and the know-how to get things done at the state senate level in Raleigh for our area."

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4:39 p.m. Cleveland Volunteer firefighters responded to a stove fire. The loud noise didn't seem to distract those campaigning at the fire station.

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4:32 p.m. Cleveland County Democratic Party Chair Jennifer Helton said the turnout in some precincts will wind up being "astronomical."

"The turnout has been steady everywhere," she said. "People were coming out to vote first thing."

Helton said it was ironic there were no lines because of all the early voters. Residents who sought to avoid lines by voting early had to wait much longer than those on Election Day.

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4:26 p.m. As of late afternoon, 618 votes have been cast at Shelby precinct No. 2, according to Chief Judge Holly Arakelian-Watts.

"It was very busy this morning," she said, describing the turnout as "steady." "We were lined up at 5:30 (a.m.). No problems."

But she believes the busiest time is still to come. Rush hour could bring in even more voters.

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12:39 p.m. Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory's (R) camp claims recent radio ads against him are racist. He's running against Democratic candidate Bev Perdue for the office of governor. I encoded one of the ads to let you decide for yourself. What do you think?



12:12 p.m. Let's say Election Day ends in a 269-269 tie. Who would decide the winner? The only real answer lies in this video:



11:58 a.m. Here's some neat resources to follow the presidential race:

From CNN:
http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/results/president/

From the New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/11/03/us/politics/20081104_ELECTION_PREVIEW.html

11:27 a.m. County GOP Chair Wayne King was pleased to see "significant" turnout in Earl for the 2008 General Election.

"The rural boxes are voting, which trend more Republican," he said. "Looks like people are excited about voting."