Voting Turnout Slow, Steady in Fort Hunt, Hybla Valley

Voters trickled into local polling stations Tuesday morning in a slow but steady turnout in Fort Hunt and Hybla Valley.

At , chief elections officer Kathleen Cassidy said 80 voters had cast ballots as of 9:30 a.m. “It’s been quite steady,” she said. “Not tremendous numbers, but it’s been quite steady.”

Most people are choosing electronic voting over a new option that scans paper votes into a machine, Cassidy said.

“I think they’re pretty used to electronic,” she said. “That seems more automatic. But some of the older folks prefer the paper.”

At , chief elections officer Laura Davis said the polling station had recorded 102 votes by 9:45 a.m.

“It’s been pretty steady,” she said. “We’ve had a few lulls, and then we’ve had a few backups of people.”

Only 33 people had voted at by 10 a.m., said chief elections officer Don Hinman. The precinct saw more voters in the Democratic primary than in the Republican one, poll workers said.

Hinman said electronic voting machines were by far the most popular choice Tuesday.

“I’d say (it’s) past practice,”  he said. “They vote the way they’re used to.”

Bob Kuletz, who stopped by at Fort Hunt Elementary, voted in the Democratic primary but declined to say which candidate he picked. He considers himself a regular voter.

“I vote every time we have an opportunity to,” he said. “If you don’t vote, you don’t have any right to complain.”

Former senator and Gov. and wife, , greeted voters Tuesday morning at Washington Mill Elementary School, a precinct near their home in Mount Vernon. Allen faces competition in today's Republican primary for the U.S. Senate from three challengers: tea party member , minister and state Del. of Prince William County.

The Allens voted at the precinct and plan to visit other precincts around Northern Virginia today before heading to a rally in Richmond tonight to await results of the primary. The winner will face Democrat , a former governor of Virginia.

On the Democratic ticket, voters were asked to chose between incumbent U.S. Rep. or political newcomer .

Check Fort Hunt Patch tonight for primary election results and on Wednesday morning for voting tallies by precinct.