One Brick Short

4 p.m.: Yowser! If you’re waiting for the last-minute, mark-down sale on voting, you could be in for a long wait.

“The lunch hour wasn’t near as busy as we thought it would be,“ said Rick Sincere, big dog down at the Charlottesville election board. “During the afternoon we’ve had a steady number of voters, but probably only a handful at any one time, so we’re expecting a big turnout again in the evening.“

Or, maybe not. An estimated 40 percent of city voters cast their ballots by 1 p.m. Considering that the last presidential election brought out 67 percent of the registered voters, maybe only 27 percent have yet to drop a note on their favorite folk.

“I think a lot of people came out early and decided to get it out of the way because of the talk about heavy voter turnout and long lines,“ Sincere said. “That could make a big difference in the evening lines.“

It’s all conjecture, of course. Only the last few hours will tell for sure. Officials, however, are happy about the turnout and the crowds.

“There’s never been anything like this in the 13 years I’ve been here,“ said Norm Taylor, an election official at the Walker Upper Elementary School precinct. “It’s been absolutely amazing.“

2:40 p.m.: The word is not cast-in-stone official, but it looks like Charlottesville voters are digging on e-voting.

In a city offering both paper and electronic balloting, officials say the citizenry is going mod. Well, it’s not that mod; the city has been using its electronic vote boxes since 2002.

“It’s running about 2-to-1 with people choosing to vote on the electronic system rather than the paper ballots. At Alumni Hall it’s running about 5-to-1,“ said Rick Sincere, of the Charlottesville electoral board. “I think it shows that people are comfortable with the electronic voting system, its quality and its accuracy.“

The city recently added paper ballots after the state legislature voted for no more electronic machines. The paper votes are read through a scanner created and programmed by the same company as the electronic boxes, making the machines as compatable as rock, paper and scissors can be.

Both machines are legal in Virginia because they produce a visual representation of the vote—the electronic machines produce a PDF format facsimile and the scanners have the paper ballot itself—in case recounts are required.

Personally, I went with the old school paper ballot. Just fill in the little squares completely (you don’t even need a number two pencil) and run it through the scanner.

“It’s pretty interesting because we can actually look at voter preference in balloting in a real-life scenario,“ said Mr. Sincere. “What we don’t necessarily know is why people prefer the machines. I think, for most people, it’s because the machines have been around long enough that they’re used to them.“

It could be. It could also be that, when you’re texting and Twittering before blogging, it’s hard to bring yourself to do something so important as voting for president by simply scribbling on paper.

11:20 a.m.: Just got back from the old home precinct where I split my radical centrist vote, as usual, and enjoyed the block party that is election day in Charlottesville’s own Pleasant Valley, which we call Meadowbrook Heights.

Over at Walker School, an elementary band played holiday songs while Carpe Donut! served up organic treats at reduced prices. Nearby, band parents offered tasty bakies from brownies to blueberry pies. However you spell yum, it was there. It probably still is, as folks plan on being there all voting day long.

“My step-son is in the band and we thought we’d bring the family business out here to raise some money to help support it,“ said Matt Rohdie from inside the mobile deep fryer. “The kids have been out playing since [voting] began this morning. It’s been fun.“

A lot of fun. The Democrats brought a variety of tasties as well and the sparse, but spirited, GOP contingent remained upbeat as clumps of voters—neighbors and friends—stood and chatted about everything from McBama to test scores. The relaxed atmosphere led one person to suggest closing the area off for a block party every election day. Another recommended making election day a national holiday.

And why not? Let’s all take election day off, make our choice and then party in the parking lot at the precinct with live bands, potato salad and intoxicating beverages. Then we can all take the bus to McIntire Park—at least until the swim center is built and the fields disappear—to watch Election Day Fireworks.

Hey, why shouldn’t we celebrate Election Day the same as we do The Fourth of July?

8 a.m.: The polls are packing them in with long lines as we run off to decide, in record numbers, who will preside over the Ship of State’s fate as we navigate between the shoals of economic disaster, war and uncertainty and ride the crest of this voting wave to the hilt and its final conclusion.

Hello, Metaphor Abuse Hotline?

OK, so I’m not very literary. Just because you’re neither literary nor literate is any reason to be precluded from voting. Ask the embarrassed folks at Albemarle County who are directing all voters of Polish descent to use the Hydraulic Road entrance to Albemarle High School to vote. The electronic sign on Rio Road is proclaiming “AHS POLES USE HYDRAULIC ROAD ENTRANCE.“

Irish apparently can use any entrance they want.

There’s also a report of a concert going down around downtown to entertain voters waiting in line. Look for some candidates offering inducements as well as endorsements as some have brought doughnuts and coffee.

Those are the folks I’m looking for while cruising the polls on the Electoral Cycle. Happy votering!