America decides: Voters queue for hours as Obama-mania sweeps the nation

By David Jones In Chicago
Updated: 03:32 BST, 5 November 2008

View
comments

At dawn, they began to turn out in their millions and head for the polling stations.
Black and white, rich and poor, young and old, they were determined to have their say in the historic battle for the White House.

The unprecedented enthusiasm generated by the contest between Barack Obama and John McCain saw a record turnout that brought chaotic scenes across America last night.

With more than 130million Americans expected to vote, many of the nation's 7,000 polling stations were simply overwhelmed.

Long wait: Voters queue to vote at the Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School in the Anacostia neighborhood of Washington DC this morning

A long line of voters wraps around the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union local 683 in Columbus, Ohio, a key battleground state

Queues snaked for hundreds of yards forcing voters to wait up to three hours to cast their

ballot in the most anticipated U.S. presidential election in history.

Some became so tired of waiting that they simply gave up and went home, while others left because they had to return to work or to care for their families.

For many who reached the ballot box, the process of voting was so bewildering that they took an eternity to make their choice from a hefty ballot sheet that included votes for, as well as the president, congressional lawmakers, local officials and a myriad of legislative proposals.

Enlarge

History in the making: Barack Obama holds up an 'I voted' paper after casting his vote at a polling place in Chicago

The delays were likely to cause some polling stations to stay open longer than planned in some states, which threatened to delay by hours the final result.

Whatever the outcome, it was evident from early yesterday how Obama's bid to become the first black U.S. president had galvanised the country from coast to coast.

A turnout of 130million would equate to 70 per cent, far above the 63 per cent who voted in the 1960 election that put John F Kennedy in power.

As the queues built up yesterday, most analysts were agreed that the delays would not favour either side, with Democrat and Republican voters equally caught up in the chaos.

Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain and his wife Cindy McCain gesture to supporters after casting his vote at the polling place in the Albright United Methodist Church in Phoenix

But some felt the problems could harm McCain, saying Democrats, and particularly black Democrats, would be more determined to stay in line so they could cast a historic vote for Obama.

Embarrassingly, even Obama and his wife Michelle were caught up in the farce, although they sidestepped the queues at their local polling station in Hyde Park, Chicago.

In scenes seen by millions of TV viewers, they were clearly puzzled by the complex ballot form. Their daughters, Malia, ten, and Sasha, seven, fidgeted beside them as they took 20 minutes just to tick all the various boxes.

The Illinois senator made light of the delay afterwards, joking: 'Michelle took a long time to vote, I had to check who she was voting for.'

After casting his vote, Obama dashed off to a final rally in Indiana before returning to Chicago for what he hopes will be his triumphant victory rally. More than one million people are expected to attend the event in Grant Park.

Enlarge

First to the polls: Voter Tanner Tillotson, of Dixville Notch, casts his ballot at the nation's presidential election

First to the polls: Voter Tanner Tillotson, of Dixville Notch, becomes the first in the nation to cast his ballot on election day. Below, hundreds of early voters line up around the block in Cinncinnati

Obama, 47, started as the firm favourite based on opinion polls and early voting numbers. He struck first blood in Dixville Notch, the New Hampshire hamlet that traditionally opens presidential voting after midnight.

He gained 15 votes to McCain's six, becoming the first Democrat to win there in 40 years. But Vietnam War veteran McCain, 72, kept campaigning right up until polls closed early today in the hope of pulling off a last-gasp comeback.

He finished a frantic seven-state tour to vote in Phoenix, Arizona, with wife, Cindy, 54, before giving a string of eleventh hour TV interviews.

'Look, I know I'm still the underdog, I understand that,' he said on CBS. 'You can't imagine the excitement of an individual to be this close to the most important position in the world.'

Aside from the problems caused by long queues, there were widespread reports of hiccups in the patchwork voting system, computer crashes, legal stand-offs, political skulduggery and just plain thuggery. By mid-day, CNN said they had received 22,000 complains about the flawed system.

America has an unhappy history of voting mishaps. In 2000, the results of the election were held up until the U.S. Supreme Court ultimately decided to halt a recount over contested votes in Florida, leaving George Bush the winner.