As of Tuesday morning, more than 780,000 Virginians had already cast their votes early. But voters still lined up at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Leesburg.

For some, it is a matter of necessity – one couple had just become full-time residents and couldn’t vote early. For others, it’s about the excitement of the day.

Voting on Election Day has been a longtime tradition for Marcey Kellogg, starting with her grandmother. Now she and her wife Sharon Thomas vote on Election Day every year, and they only vote early if they’re out of town.

“We’re happy to do it,” Thomas said. “It’s kind of like leaving church. You have a smile on your face.”

She and Kellogg are voting to protect abortion rights and promote LGBTQ inclusivity, including at schools. Those may be some of the more partisan issues on voters’ minds this year, but it doesn’t stop the couple from enthusiastically greeting an old friend at the polls who may be canceling out their vote. “Glad you voted, no matter how you vote!” the friend tells them.

“I would like to find a candidate, really with either party, that communicates with the other side,” Thomas said. “And I think if we could find that then maybe we could inch forward just a little bit. There’s such a divide.”

Election Day has gone smoothly for the most part in Northern Virginia.

There have been several exceptions, such as several power outages in the morning – including one in Arlington County – which were resolved and did not affect voting. There have been reports of some voters being turned away as ‘inactive’ at the polls. (Our partners at VPM News are asking those who’ve been having trouble at the polls to share their experiences.) Those who are finding out that they are not properly registered on Election Day can do same-day registration.

And in the Lorton precinct in Fairfax County, a Republican activist was allegedly allowed to set up a tent within 40 feet of a polling place and ordering Democrats to relocate. The accusation was made via a post on X (formerly Twitter).

Of the more than 780,000 Virginians who voted early, 553,532 voted in person, according to a Virginia Department of Elections briefing on Tuesday. It’s a slightly lower early voting turnout than in the last November general election, despite Gov. Glenn Youngkin – in a departure from other Republican leaders – encouraging more Virginians to vote early (and potentially drawing more Republicans to the polls).

Still, Ashley Miller, a Republican poll greeter, said she saw better turnout during early voting in Prince William’s County.

“We’ve had a steady trickle coming in,” she said during early voting. “That’s really encouraging for a usually dead area.”

Like many voters in her party, Miller is concerned with improving public safety and “having our parents being involved in our children’s lives at school.”

Sonia Ballinger, a Democrat, participated in early voting in hopes that it will make processing the results a little easier. She also wants to see high voter turnout and, of course, a victory for her party – though she’s not expecting a landslide.

Protecting abortion rights is top of mind for Ballinger.

“I have two granddaughters, I have two daughters, and that’s always been my fear, is taking away our rights as women and being able to talk and speak for our own bodies,” she said. She’s also concerned about the high costs of childcare.

Not all voters are passionate about hot-button issues like abortion, parents’ rights, or public safety. A voter at Holy Trinity, Sara – a former Republican who began voting for Democrats in recent years – says she’s been opting for more moderate candidates. Those who were too strident on issues like abortion were a turnoff for her.

“I’m pro-life,” she said, “but I think we need to have reasonable options.” Many voters are not divided neatly along party lines when it comes to local representation. Some are preoccupied with how elections will affect data center construction, which has drawn opponents on both sides and has divided Democrats. Another independent voter, Mark Scheifler, says his top issue is transportation.

But for voters who are more squarely in either the Republican or Democrat parties and are most invested in the partisan issues, this is a tense time: the Virginia results may foreshadow which party is victorious in the national elections.

“If we don’t win the local elections, national elections don’t even matter,” Miller said.

Ballinger said the country may follow whichever direction Loudoun County takes.

“Eyes are on Loudoun County,” she said.

The polls close at 7 p.m. Tuesday, but you can still vote afterward if you are in line at 7. The Virginia Department of Elections says localities will first be reporting their consolidated results and then reporting absentee and early votes in the following days. The department declined to specify a time by which results will start coming in, saying they will vary by locality.