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Registrars from across the New River Valley have all reported a heavy turnout of voters thus far, with relatively few problems.
Lines at some of the precincts started forming as early as 5 a.m. this morning. By mid-morning, some of those lines had disappeared. While at places like, the Christiansburg Recreation Center, St. Michael’s Church and the Radford Recreation Center had lines stretching across the parking lot at 11 a.m. Election officials at those three locations reported that the average waiting time was about 30 to 45 minutes. In Montgomery County, as of 10:30 a.m. 1/3 of the registered voters had already voted, which was 31.22 percent. Montgomery County registrar Randy Wertz said there have been a few minor problems, either with human error on the machines to parking problems at the St. Michael’s Lutheran Church on Merrimac Road, which saw its voter registration increase from 3,199 registered voters to 5,864. Earlier today, officials with Montgomery County announced that Montgomery County voters who vote at the E-1 Precinct at St. Michael’s Lutheran Church, 2308 Merrimac Road, are encouraged to park at Kipps Elementary School and take a shuttle to the polling place to avoid parking problems. Montgomery County Public School Bus # 124 will run continuous shuttles from Kipps, 2801 Prices Fork Road, to St. Michael’s from 12:30 p.m. until the polls close at 7 p.m. There is limited parking at St. Michael’s, which is causing traffic problems in the area. Radford Registrar Tracy Howard reported that West I and West II are both at 1050 or so voters, East precinct is just over 900 and growing, as of noon. “The only real issue at this point, was a machine problem at West II, the machine was removed from service and we still have an appropriate number of machines available,” said Howard. Forty-eight percent of the registered voters in Pulaski County had voted as of 2:30 p.m., according to Pulaski County Registrar Kathy Webb. "Thus far, we have had no reportable problems," said Webb, who has seen 10,268 people cast their vote. According to the State Board of Elections, 30 to 40 percent of the voters in Virginia voted prior to 10 a.m. this morning. Lawyers from the Obama campaign have been station at precincts in Radford and Montgomery County to observe the voting procedures. Both Radford and Montgomery County have come under fire over student voting. A large number of students from Radford University and Virginia Tech were being shuttled from their campuses to their voting precincts.In addition to the student shuttles, Blacksburg Transit, along with the individual campaigns had been providing transportation to the polls. Governor Timothy M. Kaine this afternoon issued the following statement regarding voting: "Virginians are turning out in record numbers to vote in today's historic Presidential election, despite the weather. The State Board of Elections is working closely with local election officials to make sure that voting runs smoothly, and we are confident that the problems that some precincts have encountered are being addressed promptly and resolved quickly. "Those still waiting to vote should be aware that turnout is very heavy, but precinct volunteers are working hard to make the lines move as quickly as possible. “Voters should remember that polls close at 7 p.m. and the hours will not be extended. However, all who arrive to vote by 7 p.m. will be allowed to vote notwithstanding the length of lines. We ask everyone to be patient and encourage voters to stay in line to participate in this historic event.” Governor Kaine also noted that curbside voting is available to those who may need assistance. Curbside voting allows for any voter physically disabled or age 65 or older to have an officer of election bring a ballot to the voter outside of the polling place, but within 150 feet of the entrance. EverythingNRV will keep you posted throughout the day with the latest information. Check back often. Photos: (top left) Radford High School senior Charles Mogen voted for the first time this morning at Radford’s West One Precinct at the Radford Fire Department. (Right) Parking became a problem at Montgomery County’s E-1 Precinct at St. Michael’s Lutheran Church on Merrimac Road. (Bottom left) This lady reads a book while waiting in line at the Radford Recreation Center. (Photos by David Grimes)
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