TUNKHANNOCK, Pa. — Long lines filled with patient voters wrapped around the parking lot outside the Tunkhannock Township building as they waited cast their vote.
"People are being really kind to one another in line, just a lot of support. Nobody's really, you know, expounding upon who they're voting for, just regular folks out here doing their civic duty," said Valerie Noel, a voter from Tunkhannock.
Those in line say their average wait time ranged from 30 minutes to an hour, but many didn't mind. They were excited at the opportunity to participate in person.
"We're voting for the first time. She just turned 18 in October. I've been 18 since March, so I decided to come out today," said Peyton Voda, a first-time voter in Tunkhannock.
Along with the long lines at polling places, nearly 5,000 mail-in and absentee ballots are being processed in Wyoming County.
Officials at the election office confirmed that mail-in and absentee ballots are already being scanned and counted.
"We expect to get it done in record time. We bought a new machine that opens the envelopes for us, so it's moving a lot more rapidly than it did in the spring, and things are going well," said Wyoming County Commissioner Thomas Henry.
Voters tell Newswatch 16 that regardless of how the election turns out, they want what's best for the American people.
"On a human level, people want to continue to see us grown, not only as a nation but as a human race. And no matter what happens, we adapt, and we forge ahead, and we survive, and we help one another," said Noel.