Three Cheers for The Newbies

As if voting for the first time in a presidential election weren't exciting enough, poll workers at Victory Lakes Elementary School in Prince William County gave first-time voters a little extra encouragement after their hour-and-a-half wait in line to cast ballots.

According to investigative reporter R. Jeffrey Smith: "The poll workers let out a big whooping cheer every time a first-time voter came to the head of the line. It was baffling at first, and then fun when we figured out what was going on. (It was) a bit like going into a sushi parlor and having the waiters all cheer."

The voters were probably just as thrilled to get to the front of the line. Elections officials reported extremely long lines this morning -- in Chesapeake, there was one line that was 1,000 people long, more than 50 percent of that precinct's voters -- but the lines eased this afternoon. They are bracing for the late-afternoon crush.