The first lines to be encountered...

Cars lined both sides of the driveway off Route 2 leading to the Preston Town Hall, and the line of people waiting to vote extended out the building. It is the first backlog of voters I've seen on my travels this morning.

Inside, however, things were running smoothly. "About five minutes," said Lou DePina, a Preston resident and Norwich Recreation Department Director, when asked how long it took for him to vote. "I parked way down the driveway, so I expected it was going to be a lot longer."

He said it took his wife 25 minutes to vote when she came to the polling place earlier this morning.

Upstairs in the town clerk's office, business for Presidntial Ballots was very slow. Only five for the day. Four yearts ago, they handed out 47 Presidential Ballots. The biggest push,m officials said, wil probably come later this afternoon when people get out of work.

Preston is also the first polling place I've come to today that didn't bring on extra staff for today's election.

"It's just anotehr day at the office," said Moderator Ted Powell.

When asked if this was the busiest he's seen, Powell smiled, shook his head and said, Utopia."

Enough said.

Back over to Route 12, and into Norwich.