DaytonDailyNews.com

LEBANON — 7:30 p.m. The second tsunami never hit at the polls in the Mason Municipal Center. Precinct chief Dan Strauss was predicting a second wave of long lines would hit after people got off work, but it never did.

The longest anyone had to wait was about 10 minutes, after the huge lines this morning, Nov. 4.

"There never was a second tsunami," he said. "After all that hype, it was kind of disappointing."

A similar scene was visible at polling location in Lebanon, where poll workers at the Lebanon Presbyterian Church were packing up equipment early, leaving only one booth open for stragglers.

"They were lined up before the doors opened this morning," said precinct worker Kathy Robinson. "It's been steady all day, but slowed down recently."

Robinson said she thought that people were worried that they wouldn't be able to vote and so flooded the pool locations early.

5:35 p.m. Whew! County's elections results Web site working again

The Warren County Board of Elections Web site is back on line, Kier Holeman, the elections director said late this afternoon, Tuesday, Nov. 4.

The site crashed earlier today, but is back online and ready for people to view election results as they are tallied.

The problem did not affect Warren County's ability to count votes.

3:32 p.m. Elections Web site down, but expected online for election results

The Warren County government Web site crashed earlier today, but election officials say it should be available once election returns start coming in.

The polls close at 7:30 p.m. and the county elections staff uses the Web site to announce vote counts.

Elections Director Keir Holeman said this afternoon, Tuesday, Nov. 4, that computer technicians are fixing the Web site now.

"They have assured me it will be up by the time returns are coming in," he said. "And I'm relying on my people."

3:27 p.m. Turnout estimated as high as 85 percent

Warren County elections director Holeman now estimates voter turnout in the county will reach 80 to 85 percent. That's based on the the number of voters at polls early Tuesday, he said.

Voters reported waiting 60 to 90 minutes in some precincts because of the turnout, with long lines formed before polls opened at 6:30 a.m.

"It's just my gut but I am confident in raising that estimate," Holeman said.

2 p.m. Lines shorter, but poll workers prepared for another rush

Just up the road at the Republican Party Headquarters, every phone is manned with a volunteer who is working to get out the vote. Mary Jo Kubic, a part-time graduate student who also has a full-time job, said that her work with the campaign "has been a blast." The Mason resident said that volunteers have devoted countless hours and are "pumped up" about the election.

Although many polls have said that their presidential candidate has ground to make up, Kubic said that campaign volunteers are confident that we'll pull it out. Media coverage has been slanted and what is being written isn't happening out here in the field." Workers will be on hand at the office continuing to make calls and sending people out to get out the vote until the polls close at 7:30 p.m. Afterwards, Kubic said that the work isn't done. "We will start making calls for the West Coast, where the polls are still open."

Kubic, a Mason resident, was up until 3:00 a.m. this morning putting signs up. '"It's exciting. I waited two hours the other day to vote. People are saying that it's an important election. I know that is said every time, but this time, it really is. The difference in the candidates are so wide. That's why we're getting out the vote. We did in in '04 for Bush and we're doing it in '08 for McCain."

1:45 p.m.

The long lines have lessened dramatically early this afternoon, election day, but poll workers are bracing for another onslaught.

At the Mason Municipal Center this afternoon, Nov. 4, voters were walking right in and casting their ballots.

"We had quite crush early on, but it cleared out at around 10 a.m.," said poll captain Dan Strauss. "We've had a lull here in the middle, which is kind of scary. We're going to get another tsunami around 5 or 6 p.m."

At J.F. Burns Elementary in Deerfield Twp., Warren County Board of Elections poll troubleshooter Bob Letner said there were 20 or 30 people waiting when he opened up the building at 5:20 a.m. and the lines grew steadily.

Poll worker Ed McNeely said voters waited about an hour-and-a-half to vote at the school for a while this morning.

"There were four of us," he joked. "But two of us didn't make it."

1:30 p.m. Warren County Democratic Party Headquarters

Warren County Democratic Chairman Jeff Leis reported this afternoon that a number of issues have cropped up in precincts around the county. "There have been some machine breakdowns, some poll workers not following proper procedures, but we've been in touch with the election board and everything has been resolved." Leis has been overseeing the issues from the Warren County Democratic Party Headquarets in Lebanon. Most of the complaints have been about long lines, he said, however "people are excited and want to get their voices heard. Maybe it was 35 degrees and miserable things may be different, but since it's nice out, people are waiting."

In the back room, volunteers for the Democratic party stream into to continue their canvassasing: going out to the community and reminding people to go out and vote. Volunteers are either going door to door or working the phone banks.

Staging location director Martah Paige said that the large turnout isn't a big surprise to her team. "It shows what we've been saying for a long time. People are engaged and are excited in a way that we haven't seen in decades." Paige also said that despite the results of today's vote, something larger has come from this long campaign. "We are completely run by volunteers here," she said. "We are all from Warren County; it's a unique stuation given where we live. We have the same concerns. And, on Nov. 5, after all of this is done, we are a network of neighbors who will continue to work together on these issues."

1:15 p.m.

There wasn't much of a wait at Lebanon Presbyterian Church, according to some voters.

It took Faye Eubank and a neighbor about 25 minutes to vote at the church.

Eubank's husband, George, got to the church at "two minutes to six," to cast his vote for Sen. Barack Obama.

"When I left, (other voters) were all circled around the corner," George Eubank said.

12:50 p.m.

Cornerstone Church of God in Lebanon didn't have a lunch rush, some voters said.

David and Betty Blanton walked right up to the polls when they arrived at the church this afternoon.

Poll workers told them there was an hour and a half wait this morning.

12:30 p.m.

A heavy crowd caused late morning voters to wait about an hour and 15 minutes to cast ballots at Lebanon Junior High, 160 Miller Rd.

"It wasn't really too bad because I've heard other places were worse," said Cecilia Ehling.

She went straight to the school after working third shift at the Miller Brewing Company overnight.

An immigrant from the Philippines, she's used her right to vote since gaining citizenship in 1977.

Vanessa Reeves is doing tag-team voting with her mother, who was at home watching Reeves' children.

Her mother was expected to vote once Reeves returned home.

11:15 a.m.

At Valley Vineyards in Morrow, people are parking their cars in

the adjacent field to find a space. The line to get into the polls winds

from the front entrance all the way back to the end of the driveway near

OH-22/3.

People have been waiting in line for more than 90 minutes to

vote.

In spite of the long wait, people here are determined to have their

voices heard. While the mood is positive, there are some complaints about

why the process is taking so long.

"They weren't ready for this kind of turnout," Jerry Snyder said. "They

only have five booths in there. I can't believe that."

But, the wait won't deter Snyder and those around him from casting their vote. "The economy is in such turmoil," Snyder said.

Sue Carnes, a local school administrator, brought her 87-year-old neighbor,

Helen Schmitt to vote today.

"It's an historic election," Carnes said. "Either way we vote, history will be made."

For Carnes and her neighbor, the issues are just as important as the candidates who are making history.

"It's about conservativism," Schmitt said. "Pro-life, econonic policy, education. All of it. We need to go back to that. So, is it an historic election, you bet it is."

Toward the back of the line Gail Mitchell, her adult son Mike and his wife

Jamie knew they were in for a long wait, but didn't seem to mind.

"I have a feeling it's going to be crowded like this all day," Gail Mitchell said.

"Fortunately, it's a gorgeous day, so we'll wait."

For Gail, the Little Miami School school income tax proposal is one of the most important issues she'll vote on today.

"I will support the levy because we need to have good schools for our

children, to keep our home values up and, really, because it's our future."

Mike is going to work late to cast his vote and his wife, Jamie, is missing

classes to stand in line. Both hope that the country will see some of the

change that both presidential candidates have talked during their campaigns,

but Jamie is realistic.

"There won't be as much change as either of them promise," she said. "You can only do so much in four years."

As a pharmacy student, Jamie said she hopes that whomever is elected can "dig us out of the economic hole we're in and fix the health care system."

10:46 a.m. High schools students, with day off, volunteer at polls

Inside the Hamilton Twp. Community Building, 18-year-old Faith Tessmer of Lebanon is spending her day volunteering at the polls.

"I cast my vote yesterday for the first time," she said. "I waited over four hours."

Tessmer takes a government class at Lebanon High School and has learned the importance of involvement in a democracy.

"I always knew being involved was important, but, my teacher, Mr. Meno, makes the subject come alive and this is part of our responsibility for being part of a democracy."

She felt so strongly about it that she decided to spend her day off from school as part of the "Youth at the Booth" volunteer corps, high school students who get the same training as regular poll workers and assist election volunteers with ballots, paper work and odd jobs.

Tessmer wasn't the only young person at the polling place. Many parents came with children in tow because of school closings around the area. Alexis Pearson, 4, had the message of the day at this location: "A vote today rocks the world tomorrow."

The wait at this polling place is between 30 and 40 minutes, down from earlier estimates of over an hour. Election judge Kathy Steele said that voting has run smoothly and "things have been going great."

Turnout is the highest she's seen since this polling place opened after the 2004 presidential election to accommodate the growing township population.

9:35 a.m.

There was also some question about signs posted in the Mason Administration Building Lobby. The large posters focus on the Mason Fire Levy, which the city council wants residents to approve to provide additional money from property taxes for fire/rescue operations in Mason and Deerfield.

Campaigning, including displaying posters flyers and buttons is not allowed near a polling place.

A call to the Warren County Election Board has not been returned as of 9:30 a.m. However, a city worker removed the signs, stating that city officials forgot to take them down before the voting began. The signs have been on display in the city building in the days leading up to the election.

9 a.m.

At the Deerfield Methodist Church, people are getting through the lines in about 25 minutes.

Election worker Sharon Vokelich said that people were lined up at 6 a.m. today, Tuesday, Nov. 4, when the volunteers arrived to set up.

"We've never seen anything like this," she said about the turnout.

Since the polls opened at 6:30 a.m., there has been a line, but things seem to be running smoothy.

"We're averaging one voter every minute for turnaround," Vokelich said.

People waiting on line talked about the importance of this election and why so many are willing to wait to cast their vote.

"I've never waited to vote like this," Lisa Manley said. "I usually walk right in. But, this is probably the most important election in my lifetime, and I'm 48." Manley said that the economy and bringing jobs to Ohio are her main reasons for getting out to vote.

Others talked about the excitement of finding out who our new president will be. "I want to know now," Paige Carroll said with a laugh. "We've been waiting so long and I hope it doesn't take too long to figure out who won this election."

Both Manley and Carroll agreed that the candidates and the issues are what is driving this year's election.

"Everyone is coming out to vote because they want to put their two cents in," Manley said.

8:45 a.m.

Just received a report that voting was delayed at the precinct on Martz Paulin Road in Franklin Twp.

The judge for one of the precincts that vote at Riverview Baptist Church overslept and had the ballots, voters were told. While one precinct was able to vote at 6:30 a.m., others had to wait until the judge arrived from Oregonia. There were a lot of unhappy people standing in line at 7 a.m. as they waited for the ballots to arrive, one voter said.

7 a.m.

Polls opened on time at 6:30 a.m. today in the Mason Administration Building. The line snaked around the lobby area well before officials opened the doors.

In order to expedite the wait, people have been lined up by district numbers.

However, some people were not happy with this change. Many had been waiting almost an hour in a single line, and when the doors opened and the line split, a number of people who just arrived jumped in line and were some of the first to vote and leave.

People like Sharon Hill of Mason hadn't been waiting as long, but was still frustrated.

"I'd only been here for about 15 minutes, but I'm on a timeline before having to go into work. Right now, I'm not sure I'm going to make it," Hill said.

Deb Simpson brought her three children (ages 11, 10 and 8) with her to the poll and said she hopes to get them to school on time.

"But, this was too important for them to miss," she said. "I wanted them to actually see the voting process."

Both Simpson and Hill said that the presidential election was the main motivation for getting to the polling place early today, Tuesday Nov. 4.

"It's such a close race," Hill said. "I have a lot of passion for my candidate and if I don't vote, I can't complain.

"I haven't missed a presidential election, yet," said Simpson. "And, even if the kids are a little late, we're staying."

5:35 a.m.: Record turnout expected, voters advised to avoid peak times

Just over an hour until the polls open here in Warren County. As a reminder, polls in Ohio open at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m. Election workers are anticipating record turnout, so if you're going to come during peak hours (early morning, lunch time and after work), be prepared to wait.

You will need a photo ID, such as a driver's license or state identification card.

Also, election rules state that voters are not allowed to wear campaign items (shirts, buttons), and the distribution of campaign or issue materials and discussions of the candidates or issues is not allowed while waiting in line or inside the polling station.

The weather is supposed to warm and sunny.

Make sure to keep your browser pointed here for constant updates and photos from around Warren County on this historic day!