Workers at area polling places said they saw a steady crowd of voters turning out Tuesday in Prince William County.
By 9:30 a.m., 286 people had voted at Parkside Middle School, on Mathis Avenue near Manassas.
“We haven’t had a line, but we’ve had a good turnout. It’s been steady all morning,” said Scott Aldrich, chief election officer at Parkside.
Aldrich said voter turnout is typically lower in non-presidential election years.
“It’s an off year, but so far turnout’s been good for an off year,” he said.
Aldrich said voting was going smoothly at Parkside Tuesday morning.
“It’s been going great. We’ve had no problems at all,” he said.
Outside Parkside, volunteers with Republican and Democratic campaigns greeted voters and handed out sample ballots.
Steve Fowler, a Manassas area resident, offered Republican sample ballots to passerby.
“Most people say thank you, but take one,” Fowler said. “Everyone’s been friendly though.”
Nearby a volunteer with House of Delegates candidate Jeannette Rishell handed out flyers in support of her.
The volunteer, who asked not to be named, said it was her first time volunteering on Election Day.
“It’s an important election year,” she said.
At Dale City Elementary School, election official Ray Humenik said he expected Tuesday's voter turnout to return to normal after last year's presidential election.
By 9:30 a.m., the Dale City Elementary School precinct reported approximately 120 voters. By the end of the day, Humenik said he expected anywhere from 300 to 400, or approximately 15 percent of the precinct's 2,300 voters.
Last year 1,200 voters turned out in the race for the White House. Humenik said that Tuesday's results will likely be comparable to the last gubernatorial election, especially if the polls are accurate. If it's not perceived to be close, many choose not to come to the polls, Humenik said.
"All the polls I have been looking at has [McDonnell] with a double-digit lead coming into the election," Humenik said.
Bel Air Elementary School precinct -- also in Dale City -- was reporting around 130 people around 9 a.m. and according to election official Judy Lerner, the crowd from 7 a.m. on has been "steady."
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