Photo Essay: At Precinct 48, Fenty Casts His Vote

At Sharpe Health School in Ward 4, where residents in Precinct 48 cast their votes, a long line formed before 7 a.m. and was still 100 people deep (below) by 10:45 a.m., when Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) arrived to do his civic duty. Colorful lawn signs advertising candidates for D.C. Council and the Board of Education competed for space in the tree box (above).

Residents who lined up reported waiting as long a 1 1/2 hours before casting a ballot, but the line was orderly. A supporters of incumbent Republican At-Large Council member Carol Schwartz, who is waging a desperate write-in campaign to keep her spot, encouraged folks to take a pencil with Schwartz's name so they'd remember to do so (below).

The mayor's advance staff was in full Obama support mode, including John Falcicchio, a longtime Fenty political operative who has covered his Blackberry with Obama pictures (below).

When the mayor showed up, he greeted residents, then took his place at the end of the line. Luckily for him, polling volunteers came out to announce that anyone whose last name ended begins with the letters A through G could cut to the front because that check-in area was empty. Fenty was among a dozen people who were able to move inside Sharpe Health and cast a ballot within about 10 minutes (below).

Fenty announced afterward that he voted for Obama, but he would not reveal the rest of his ballot. Speculation has abounded that he has supported Schwartz modestly behind the scenes, lest Independent Michael Brown beat her. Brown, who ran against Fenty for mayor in 2006 before dropping out and endorsing Linda Cropp, as been endorsed by Fenty's top council rival, Chairman Vincent C. Gray (D).

Asked if he was confident about the D.C. Board of Elections's ability to handle the large number of expected voters, Fenty replied: "As of right now, 11:08 a.m., I have gotten very solid feedback from a lot of different precincts in the neighborhoods. The lines were long even since before the polls were open, which demonstrated the excitement."