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Brent Riley hold a sign urging passerbys to vote Sam Rasoul at the Library Headquarters. Emily Flora SWoCo

The polling locations in SWoCo are still going steady, but are not packed. The Windsor Hills precinct at Our Lady of Nazareth Church location has been going "slow but steady," according to those advocating their chosen party outside of the church.

They did report that this morning was extremely busy. Around 6:30 a.m. there was about a 35-minute wait.

Joey McNamara, a senior at Hidden Valley High School, chose to spend his day off from school today volunteering his time to the community by handing out leaflets with the Republican candidates on a sample ballot.

"Everyone's been pretty happy. It has been pretty easy since they don't have lines like some of the other polling places," he said. The longest wait was about 10 minutes since 10 a.m. this morning.

Tom Spurlock has also been volunteering his time and said, "I think it's been going good. Older people are coming in worried and younger people are coming in smiling," he said.

David Crane, another volunteer outside of the church said he campaigned a lot this year with the Democratic Party.

"We are certainly going to turn Virginia blue this year," he said.

The three men had been outside of the church for different amounts of time but planned to stay for a couple more hours, at least until 3 p.m.

"A lot of people I've met this year are straying from who they'd usually vote for. Especially in the Senate race," Crane said. "I think it's because of the state of the economy and Iraq."

The line at the polls at the Windsor Hills precinct at Our Lady of Nazareth. Emily Flora SWoCo

According to election officer Lawrence Onan at the Windsor Hills precinct, voters had to wait about 30 to 45 minutes this morning and then the line went down. He said this morning there were probably around 100 to 150 people in line to vote before heading to work.

"This is a lull," he said around 2 p.m. today. "We've been in a lull since about 1 p.m. It's been up and down but slow."

Onan expects that from 3 or 4 p.m. the voters will come rolling in again like this morning and they'll be very busy until 7 p.m. when the polls close.

"Everybody is saying it's been big," he said. "This is a long day. It starts at 5 a.m. and we don't finish until 9 p.m. Polls close at 7 p.m. but we stil lhave to count and help clean up."

Onan said that voters have been very positive and cordial.

"People are going out of their way to be nice," he said.

Even when the lines were coiled around the voting room and all the way out the door at Our Lady Nazareth Church.

Joey McNamara, Tom Spurlock, and David Crane encourage voters to vote for their party. Emily Flora SWoCo

According to Agnes Sirrine, the Chief Election Officer at the Garst Mill Precinct held at the Roanoke County Library Headquarters, they've also been very busy but are very steady without lines as of 2:15 p.m.

"I'm expecting around 4 and 4:30 p.m. to be our next busy time."

The library this morning at 6 a.m. had a line all the way out the door and down the street, she said. At this time, Sirrine reports that the Garst Mill precinct has seen about half of their registered voters so far, over 900 voters.

"Everyone's in a good mood. They've been very accommodating," she said.

This afternoon the Garst Mill and Windsor Hills precinct locations have been slow, steady, but expect to get busier. There is plenty of parking currently at Our Lady of Nazareth, and the library parking lot, although staying full, has steady open parking lots as people move in and out of the conference room where voting is taking place.

What's the scene at your precinct in Southwest Roanoke County? How long are the lines? Any complications? Let us know at news@swo-co.com

For reports from throughout the region, see our election '08 site on roanoke.com. The polls close at 7 p.m.; check back then for analysis of the returns by senior editor Dwayne Yancey.

OTHER ELECTION COVERAGE IN SOUTHWEST ROANOKE COUNTY:
* Not a line in sight at Swoco polls
* Some early morning confusion at Penn Forest precinct