Area voting snapshot positive

Election Day in Alachua County was cool, overcast - and relatively quiet.

Only two election-related incidents had been reported to dispatchers as of late Tuesday afternoon, according to the Alachua County Sheriff's Office.

Officials were contacted about complaints that people supporting a presidential candidate had violated the 100-foot buffer zone at the Hawthorne polling place. The complaint was resolved without law officers.

A man also called to report that he had been heckled about the election but wouldn't provide any additional details.

Here are some other Election Day reports:

A text message giving false information about the election was circulating Tuesday, according to a spokesman for the Barack Obama campaign.

The message incorrectly said that, due to long lines, voting would continue into today. Local Obama spokesman Patrick Kavanaugh said at least one of the campaign's volunteers got the message.

Some University of Florida students faced registration problems that impeded their ability to vote.

Cassidy Mirabito, 20, said she registered to vote on campus a few months ago. But when she went to her polling place Tuesday at the Harn Museum of Art, she was told her registration was incomplete and she would be unable to vote.

"I'm angry because it is the first time that I actually get to vote," she said.

Because she moved here from Kentucky, she said, voting officials were unable to change her address to allow her to vote. She said she went to vote at 1 p.m., and by the time she left a half-hour later, about 25 students were lined up dealing with registration problems.

Alachua County Supervisor of Elections Pam Carpenter said she was unaware if the problems were widespread and would be looking into the issue.

There were some lines in front of polling places. But most reported smooth traffic and no long lines.

Tameika Comerie said she was glad there were no lines when she went to vote about noon on Tuesday. Her relatives in Palm Beach said they had to wait two hours to vote.

Jessica Sneed had a different experience. She thought she had beaten the crowds by heading to her polling place at 6 a.m., an hour before it opened. Instead, she found people already lining up at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. By 6:30, she said, the line wrapped around the roundabout in front of the center. Sneed, 20, said she was voting for the first time. She said she was able to cast her ballot by 7:25 a.m., finding it breezy but otherwise enjoyable to vote in the early morning.

"Everyone was pretty excited for it being 6 in the morning," she said.

Precinct 48's polling site, The Country Inn and Suites on Archer Road, also had long lines in the first hour of voting but by 8 a.m. those lines had cleared up.

Travis Leo, 21, voted for the first time Tuesday. He was at the Cornerstone polling place west of Interstate 75.

He said voting was crucial because of the economy. He said he checked out the candidates' credentials, boned up on the issues and was happy to take part in the process.

He has friends on University of Florida campus who car-pooled to the polls.

Leo kept hinting on who he had voted for, and when prompted, said he was an Obama supporter.

Also at Cornerstone, Scott Larson said he hoped "there was no weird stuff today. This is a very important election." He said he didn't want any controversy and hoped things went smoothly.

"This election has opened a lot of doors with a woman running for vice president and an African-American running for president," said Larson. "It's important to see that (diversity) in day-to-day life where everyone feels like they are on equal footing."

Idella Henderson, 39, said this was her first time voting. She said she had been scared before, but after voting this morning, she felt very confident. She said her husband encouraged her to vote. It didn't take long, and she felt good afterward.

Then there was the doughnut lady, Mary Lou Wilkerson, a poll worker at the Cornerstone polling place for about five years. She said this was the most voter turnout she has seen in her time as a volunteer.

This story includes information from staff writers Nathan Crabbe, Lise Fisher, Harriet Daniels and from The Associated Press.