RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Lines were long at some Virginia polling locations Tuesday, but there were no reports of other major issues as voters made their picks for president and in several crucial congressional and mayoral races.
Turnout data won’t be available until after the polls close at 7 p.m., but long lines were reported in at least Richmond and Norfolk, Virginia Department of Elections spokeswoman Dena Potter said.
Apart from turnout, there were a few equipment issues, include a display problem with electronic voting machines in Nottoway County, but votes were still counted accurately, Potter said.
Pre-election polls have shown Democrat Hillary Clinton leading Republican Donald Trump in Virginia, the home of her running mate, Tim Kaine. Kaine represents the swing state in the U.S. Senate and previously served as mayor of Richmond and governor of Virginia.
Kaine and his wife, Anne Holton, voted shortly after polls opened at 6 a.m. at a retirement community near their Richmond home, where Kaine was cheered by supporters waiting in line. After voting, he encouraged Americans to vote and said that if elected, he and Clinton would try to bring the country together.
“The sign of a vigorous democracy is one where a lot of people participate,” Kaine said.
Just outside Richmond in suburban Henrico County, Jean Montague, 48, cast her vote for Clinton at a Baptist church.
Montague, a computer programmer who recently moved from the Dallas area, said she’s not affiliated with a political party but backing Clinton was an easy decision.
“I wanted that glass ceiling broken for women,” Montague said. Montague is gay, and she said she also supports Clinton’s positions on gay rights and other social issues.
In Virginia Beach, Joe Hudson, 49, an engineer and registered Republican, said he’s voting for Trump because he thinks the United States is giving too much money to foreign governments while failing to focus on its own citizens and infrastructure.
But Hudson doubted that Trump will win and said he should concede if he loses.
Other key races to watch included the battle for Virginia’s 10th Congressional District, where freshman Republican Rep. Barbara Comstock is trying to fend off a serious challenge from Democrat LuAnn Bennett.
Trump’s unpopularity in northern Virginia has loomed large in the race, with Bennett trying to tie her opponent to the wealthy Republican businessman.
Comstock has sought to distance herself from Trump, urging him to step aside as the GOP nominee after the release of a video in which he made lewd comments about women. She has said she cannot “in good conscience” vote for him.
Elections for mayor are being held in several cities, including Richmond, Portsmouth and Virginia Beach.