Barbara Lawlor

Nederland

At 9:30 Tuesday night, Nov. 6, when Ohio tipped the scales for a Barack Obama win, the president reclaimed his office for another four years. By that time it was already known that Amendment 64 was being approved by the Colorado voters to legalize marijuana; however, most politicians said that the federal government still pre-empted the state with its regulations.

A steady line of voters trickled through the Nederland Community Center voting polls on Tuesday. By about 5 p.m. almost 400 people had cast their votes and the judges were expecting a crowd between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m.

The atmosphere was friendly and quiet, with respect for the voters’ privacy. The election judges were helpful and kept the lines of voters moving steadily through the system. Judge Lonny Cowels said that there some questions involving change of address. Many more voters have moved around since 2008. There were also quite a few duplicate ballots which had to be resolved.

Many young adults hit the polls this year. Ben Martens, 22, said it was his first time voting and dropped his ballot into the voting box with a teddy bear clutched in his arm and a baby bottle in his non-voting hand. His daughter 18-month-old Eleven had abandoned them for skipping around the exciting voting room.

"I liked voting," said Martens. "It was very simple. I had actually expected a hanging chad. I was particularly interested in the results of Amendment 64."

Poll Watcher Brad Wilkin said there too many of his position in Boulder and he was sent to Nederland. His job was watch the people vote, watch the judges and make sure the voting process was according to the election regulations.

The electronic machine was used more than in previous elections and those who used it were happy with the efficiency.