American voters head to polls to make history

WASHINGTON: The day of reckoning has come, for most, it means voting, then waiting - waiting for record numbers of people to cast ballots and then votes to be tallied in what's being billed as the most remarkable and certainly most exciting election in a generation.Democrat Obama was on the threshold of history with a favorite's chance to become the first black US president, after a stunning rise from near national obscurity to the pinnacle of American politics in just four years.Republican McCain was vowing to prove pollsters wrong by staging one of the most shocking upsets in US political history, but had almost no room for error in a handful of toss-up states where the battle is most fierce."I'm going to vote, then ignore everything until there's results. It's just too much anxiety for me," said one of the voters.Across America, emotions are running high. Americans have grown weary of President Bush's eight years in office and are welcoming a new direction, be it the first black president in the White House or a Republican critical of the current administration. A host of state and local contests also promises to change the cultural and political landscape of our communities.Record numbers are expected at the polls today. U.S. residents have registered in their highest proportion since at least 1920 when women were given the right to vote - 73.5 percent of the eligible population, according to a weekend count by American University's Center for the Study of the American Electorate. While recent polls of the presidential race show Democrat Barack Obama with a significant lead, projections remain dubious enough that few are taking anything for granted.Many voters will be looking to calm their Election Day nerves and await returns in the company of others who have similarly watched the twists and turns of the 20-month presidential race now come down to a single day.Elections officials hoped the record numbers of early voters would temper the crowds expected at polling sites today.

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