[Updated 6:25 p.m.] Election Day 2012: South Windsor

[Updated 6:25 p.m.] This is the final update before the results come out. As of 6 p.m., 11,249 out of 16,042 registered voters - or 70.10 percent - in South Windsor had cast their ballots.

[Updated 4:45 p.m.] Here are the numbers as of 4 p.m. in South Windsor: 9,201 out of 16,042 people - or 57.3 percent of registered voters had cast their ballots.

Much like the electorate nationwide, South Windsor residents were divided as to whom they voted for, as well as how they decided on the five capital improvements referendum questions.

Ken Young said that he voted for Barack Obama, whom Young said came into office in a difficult situation and made the best of it.

Still, Young said that as a whole he was not pleased with how elected officials in Washington, D.C. have performed.

On the local level, Young voted in favor of all five referendum questions as they are projects that need to be done.

"I believe in building up the town and putting people to work," Young said. "I'd rather pay more in taxes and keep the services up. Not many people feel that way, but I believe in paying the bill."

Nancy Charon voted for the Mitt Romney/Paul Ryan ticket because Charon believed that they would do the best job going forward, most notably in the areas of defense and the economy.

She also said that she would like to see the health care law - known as Obamacare - "revoked."

Romney, according to Charon, has the business acumen to improve the economy and he has shown that he can turn around a tough situation, like the Winter Olympics that were hosted in Salt Lake City.

As for the referendum questions, Charon voted against all of them.

"The money is not there," she said. "Normally I'm in favor of those things, but if you don't have the money, you don't have the money."

While South Windsor residents weren't in accord in terms of how they voted, they did agree that the campaigning was, in their opinion, too negative.

Susan Smith said that most candidates - namely Romney and Obama - ran "disqualifying" campaigns.

"It was not, 'This idea versus this idea,'" Smith said.

Charon agreed, saying that she was in favor of campaign finance reform that limits the amount of candidates' spending.

All of which led to some people to agonize over who they were voting for. One resident had a system in place to cut through the cacophony.

"I got my quarter [to flip], now I can vote," he quipped before heading into the polls.

[Updated 2:55 p.m.] Here are the numbers as of 2 p.m., according to South Windsor Registrar of Voters Sue Larsen: 7,870 out of 16,042 voters - 49 percent.

Campaigning is serious business. But that doesn't mean its devoid of humor.

Take, for example, state Rep. Bill Aman's campaign signs. Aman, who is running for re-election in the state assembly's 14th District, had miniature signs bearing his likeness - waving in a manner not unlike Waldo - put up all around town.

The average amount of time that a sign spends on a lawn, according to Aman, was 48 hours.

The signs wind up in people's family rooms, children's bedrooms and, at least on one occasion, in the crowd of a South Windsor High girls volleyball match.

"I'm thinking of putting a sign on the back that says, 'Please don't steal me,'" Aman said.

The cost, however, is no laughing matter. The smaller signs are about $16 to make, while larger ones cost $50, according to Aman.

[Updated 12:30 p.m.] South Windsor Registrar of Voters Sue Larsen said that the turnout has been high throughout the day.

"It's busy. ... Steady," she said.

As of 12 p.m., about 40.5 percent of the registered voters in town - 6,502 out of 16,042 - had cast their ballots.

Still, despite the high turnout, there have been no issues with long lines or voting machines breaking down, Larsen said.

"We're moving," she said.

[Updated 10:30 a.m.] Voting was brisk in District 3 - the South Windsor High School - this morning, with 1,023 ballots cast out of some 4,500 eligible voters, according to election moderator Tony Mercadante.

Anecdotally, while there has been a large turnout, it is slightly slower than the last presidential election in 2008.

In that election, prior to the voting booths opening at 6 a.m., a line at the high school stretched about 200 to 250 feet with people waiting to cast their ballots.

In this election, the line was about half that size.

Both candidates for the state assembly's 14th District seat - incumbent Republican Bill Aman and Democratic challenger Carol Driscoll - were on hand to greet and wave to voters in a last-ditch effort to sway their decision.

Aman said that his campaign went smoothly, with about 120 volunteers helping out in some way.

"It went well, Aman said. "The weather, up until today, was warm enough for me to go out and wave to people driving to work so I didn't freeze to death."

Driscoll, a two-term member of the Board of Education, is running for state office for the first time.

"I had the time of my life," Driscoll said of her campaign.

She said she most enjoyed knocking on doors and meeting town residents.

"There are a lot of nice people in South Windsor," Driscoll said.

[Original Story] Good morning, and welcome to Election Day 2012!

Today, South Windsor residents go to the polls to choose a president, a U.S. senator, a U.S. representative from the First District, a state senator from the Third District and state representatives from the 11th and 14th Districts.

See below for information on where to go to cast your ballot and the list of candidates. We've also included how the South Windsor electorate voted in 2008, the year of the last presidential election, and in 2010, the last mid-term election.

Read it over, then visit your local polling station between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. to make your voice heard! And be sure to check back with Patch for updates throughout the day, including the announcement of the winners as soon as votes are tallied.

South Windsor Polling Stations

South Windsor will use the following polling locations:

• Pleasant Valley School- District #1
• Eli Terry School - District #2
• South Windsor High School - District #3
• Philip R. Smith School - District #4
• Timothy Edwards Middle School - District #5

How South Windsor Voted in 2008 (86 Percent Turnout)

(D=Democrat; R=Republican; G=Green; I=Independent; WF=Working Families; CL=Connecticut for Lieberman)

PRESIDENT

• Obama-Biden (D) — 8,773 votes
• McCain-Palin (R) — 5,421 votes

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, FIRST DISTRICT

• John Larson (D) — 8,734 votes (935 votes WF)
• Joe Visconti (R) — 3,426 votes

THIRD SENATE DISTRICT

• Gary LeBeau (D) — 9,234 votes (1,337 votes WF)
• Unopposed (R)

11th ASSEMBLY DISTRICT

• Timothy Larson (D) — 460 votes
• Unopposed (R)

14th ASSEMBLY DISTRICT

• Kathy Hale (D) — 5,341 votes (620 votes WF)
• Bill Aman (R) — 7,168 votes

How South Windsor Voted in 2010 (69 Percent Turnout)

(D=Democrat; R=Republican; G=Green; I=Independent; WF=Working Families; CL=Connecticut for Lieberman; SA=Socialist Action)

U.S. SENATE

• Blumenthal (D) — 5,618 votes (359 WF)
• McMahon (R) — 4,621 votes

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, XXX DISTRICT

• John Larson (D) — 6,029 votes (354 WF)
• Ann Brickley (R) — 4,131 votes

THIRD SENATE DISTRICT

• Gary LeBeau (D) — 6,346 votes (343 WF)
• Robert Gonzalez (R) — 3,784 votes

11th ASSEMBLY DISTRICT

• Tim Larson (D) — 311 votes
• Unopposed

14th ASSEMBLY DISTRICT

• Hugh Brower (D) — 2,928 votes
• Bill Aman (R) - 7,200 votes

..............................................

*Numbers provided by the Secretary of the State's office