VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Hearing a poll worker shout “The polls are now open!” at Windsor Woods Elementary School excited many voters waiting in line to vote on Nov. 2 -- Election Day.
“Number four!" Joseph Airington said. "Woo woo!”
Airington was the fourth person to vote at the school. He and many others were full of energy this morning as they cast their ballots.
For Vickie Hart, it’s a tradition to vote early on Election Day.
“Early in the morning you meet some fantastic people,” she said.
It’s also a reminder to exercise her right.
“I think it’s our right to vote, and that right could be easily taken away from us if we do not practice it," she said.
That’s the same idea that brought Kumi Blackwell to the polls Tuesday morning.
“We’ve been watching the commercials over and over and seen signs everywhere, and you have to take your part as an American citizen,” Blackwell said.
In just an hour, Windsor Woods Elementary School saw more than 100 people cast their ballots.
Over at Centerville Elementary School, dozens of people lined up to vote throughout the morning. The process hit a snag after the voting machine went down, but within minutes, a technician was on scene to fix it and get the line moving again.
Voters cast their ballots with several concerns in mind.
"The vaccine mandate is very important to me," Airington said. "The second amendment, the first amendment.”
The biggest concern for many, this time around, was education.
“The schools," Bryan Hussey said. "I don’t have any children, but I have nieces and nephews, and I see what’s going on here -- and I don’t think it’s right that they’re being forced to learn things that aren’t going to help them in life.”
“I want to see our kids excel, but not at the rate where they are being jeopardized because of political gain,” Hart added.