First look at early voting in Cape Girardeau

meta content="text/html; charset=utf-8" http-equiv="Content-Type" /><meta content="Word.Document" name="ProgId" /><meta content="Microsoft Word 11" name="Generator" /><meta content="Microsoft Word 11" name="Originator" /><link href="" rel="File-List" /><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><style> &lt;!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal so-style-parent:""; ; margin-bottom:.0001pt; ; ; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; @page Section1 11.0in; 1.0in 1.25in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0; div.Section1 --&gt; /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable so-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; ; mso-style-parent:""; 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; ; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; ; ; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;

Initially filed at 7:15 a.m. Last updated 8:51 a.m.

Polls at Cape Girardeau City Hall and the Arena Building stayed busy this morning, as hundreds lined up to cast votes in an election that might see more votes cast in Cape Girardeau County than ever before.

Forty people were in line waiting to vote at Cape Girardeau City Hall this morning when the polls opened at 6 a.m.

In little more than an hour, 117 people had their votes recorded at the city hall polling station. Voters were overwhelmingly talking about the presidential election between U.S. Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain as the reason they were voting, expressing concerns about the economy, taxes and health care.

At the Arena Building, voters formed snaking lines inside the arena and were lined up outside the door. By 8 a.m., more than 800 votes had been cast in two precincts that vote at the arena.

The first person to finish voting at city hall was Bob Polack Jr., a social work professor at Southeast Missouri State University who said he cast his ballot for the Democrat Obama.

He said the economic crisis and energy concerns were his primary motivators.

"I voted based on who I thought could lead in a time of crisis," Polack said.

Young Joslyn Riebeling joined her mother, Charlene Foeste, at the polls. After voting at about 7:15 a.m., Foeste said taxes and the economy drove her to vote for the Republican McCain.

"Basically, I don't want any more welfare programs," Riebeling said.

Voters at the arena largely echoed those at city hall in their reasons for voting.

"I felt like the president was the most important issue. I want the war to end. I believe in bringing the soldiers home. And we also need to come up with a better budget for the economy," said Herice McClinton after casting her vote at the arena. "The direction the country is going isn't very good. So many people are losing their jobs and the economy is in a terrible state.

"This election is historic. Barack Obama is the better man for the job.

I voted for Purcell. Some things he did with recording conversations wasn't good, but he did a lot of good by exposing what went on behind closed doors."

Look for updates on voting in the area throughout the day and election results when the polls close at semissourian.com.