Arlington Residents Are Glad the Election is Finally Almost Over

ARLINGTON, VA — After about a year and a half of seemingly non-stop campaigning, Election Day is finally here, and Arlington residents couldn't be happier to get it all over with.

"Absolutely," said 54-year-old Michelle Robinson, an employee at a non-profit advocacy group who voted for Hillary Clinton, when asked if she was relieved the day had finally come. "The tenor of the conversation has been so toxic."

Arlington residents flocked to the polls bright and early Tuesday morning, with long lines forming outside polling locations even before they opened at 6 a.m. When polls close at 7 p.m., it will mark the official end to the election in Virginia, followed by nervous hours as the votes are tallied to see if Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton will win the state's 13 electoral votes.

The turnout in this election appears likely to set records, with two polarizing figures in Trump and Clinton driving people to go to the polls and cast their ballots in huge numbers.

Robinson, a Democrat and a volunteer who was assisting at a polling location in Pentagon City, said she believes that Hillary Clinton at least "tried to have a substantive conversation," and blames Trump for the unusually vicious rhetoric throughout the campaign.

She says after the day is over, she'll head home and watch the TV anxiously. If things don't go Clinton's way, it will be tough, but manageable, Robinson said.

"I'll start working through the stages of grief," she said. "But I have faith in our system."

Lisa Alapick, an IT consultant who identifies as a Democrat and also voted for Hillary Clinton, said she chose Clinton because of her record and particularly her international experience. She says that she often travels and people are closely paying attention to the American presidential election.

"I was in Vietnam, and they were surprised he was the potential nominee," she said. "It is amazing to them."

What happens if things go south for Clinton?

"Hello, Canada," Alapick said with a laugh, adding on a more serious note: "I would continue to work in the political process. We have checks and balances."

Not everyone in Arlington had an easy time making up their mind -- or were willing to divulge who their choice ended up being. Numerous people declined to identify for whom they voted.

Sanjeet Deka, a 32-year-old management consultant, was one of those people. He identified himself as a moderate conservative, but said he was relatively undecided until now -- although he had always leaned toward one candidate in particular. He declined to name that candidate as he made his way to the polling station, but explained his thought process.

"There's a couple of things that are important to me," Deka said. "On the economic side, I'm finally hearing details. I'm concerned about the debt situation, about being globally competitive, and I'm finally hearing plans [from the candidates] on those issues."

He said that he has been waiting for candidates to show that they can do something about the economic situation in the United States, particularly to help poor working class voters who have been hit particularly hard by the 2007-08 financial crisis and haven't dug their way out.

"I can understand the anger over the financial crisis," Deka said. "I don't think there's been enough concern about that."

Image: Patch staff