Voters Flock To Polling Places, Brave Long Lines Around Country
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- As voters flooded polling places across the country Tuesday, some reported problems in several places -- in addition to many long lines.
As CBS2's Jessica Moore reported, a handful of battleground states have taken the national spotlight in the race for president. But ask any voter and their vote is most important.
WEB EXTRAS: Find Your Polling Place | Photos: Election Day 2016
"This is like probably the most polarized election that's ever existed and I mean -- I want my party to win really, really badly because the alternative seems like disaster, and I know a lot of people feel that way," one Chicago voter said.
"It's good to know that, you know, we'll finally know the answer by the end of the day, and we don't have to think about it, and we can just move forward," voter Sanaa Qamar of south Chicago suburban Frankfort told Mike Puccinelli of WBBM-TV, CBS2 Chicago.
"I think it's good to vote, because our forefathers had struggled to get this far, and also, it's important for the generation coming up," said Chaplain King of Lauderhill, Florida.
Voters in Nevada started lining up before the polls opened Tuesday morning at one voting location in Las Vegas.
In Massachusetts, lines wrapped around the block outside a polling place in Boston.
And political analysts agree that Florida represents a crucial brick in paving the road to victory for both Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
"Every election it changes us," said Florida voter Felix Fernandez. "It changed us when Obama was in. It's going to change us again."
In Miami-Dade County, there were first-time voters who immigrated from other countries.
"I'm a person from another country, so this is a great opportunity for me to share my thought and the right," voter Natiana Marrante told Marybel Rodriguez of WFOR-TV, CBS4 in Miami.
Some Florida voters also waited for the very last minute to make their choice.
"I was still exploring, watching the internet; learning from some articles, so I waited for the last moment to make sure it was the correct one," said Miami-Dade voter Eric Pabon.
Florida experienced a bit of controversy Tuesday morning, when two poll workers in Broward County were fired for "not working to the level of integrity they were trained to… and quickly replaced."
Meanwhile, a Pennsylvania couple turned out to represent a microcosm of the country itself. The husband was for Clinton, the wife for Trump.
"Come on, we need somebody strong. We need our country that can be our country again and not be all in all the other countries," the woman said.
"I don't think either one of them are capable of running the country correctly without prejudice, and I believe that the experience is what counts," the man said.
And they have some high-profile company. Last week, Trump said New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady vowed to support him on Election Day. On Tuesday, Brady's wife, Giselle Bundchen, said she was voting for Clinton.
The latest polls give Clinton a slight edge nationally, but nominees are determined to make history.
The winner will inherit an anxious nation, angry and distrustful of leaders in Washington. They'll preside over an economy that is improving but still leaving many behind, and a military less extended abroad than eight years ago, but grappling with new terror threats.
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