Some precincts remain lively after sunset
Mayoral candidate Mark Charfauros' face was frozen into a smile and his arm seemed to rise and wave on its own at the sound of an approaching motor vehicle.
That's what happened on Election Day in Hågat, the result of a constant stream of voters making their way into the polls at Oceanview Middle School.
Charfauros' bipartisan camp was situated almost directly across to the gated entrance to the school, and Charfauros and his family waved to everybody.
"Such a large turnout. Way, way larger than the primary," said Charfauros. "And that just tells me that the village wants change."
His opponent, incumbent Mayor Kevin Susuico, had supporters on both sides of the street, inside the gate on school grounds.
Even with the onset of dusk, supporters waved and cheered for each arriving car, and they waved until the vehicle dipped out of sight as the car got closer to the voting area.
Campaign supporters continued to thank the voters as they made their way out, as did Charfauros' camp outside the gate.
Mini trucks by the ones and twos would cruise past both camps, stopping sometimes to do a standing burn, sending stinky clouds of rubber smoke into the air. Nobody seemed to mind, either.
"It was a good turnout, a very good turnout," said Susuico. "We hit the 600 voter mark earlier this afternoon so we're looking at hopefully being over 50-some percent by the end of closing of the polls. A lot better than the primary, for sure."
Hågat has about 2,200 registered voters.
In Sånta Rita-Sumai, it was equally lively in the late afternoon.
Voters took advantage of the accessible drive-through voting as precinct officials brought ballots to the vehicle occupants, then patiently waited until they were done so they could run the ballots inside and cast them into the voting boxes.
Curtis Ettleman, 52, said he hasn't missed an election in his village since he turned 18.
He likes the voting process because he often sees former classmates and other contemporaries that he hasn't seen in years, and it's nice to catch up outside the polls. He said he even has connections to both mayoral candidates, Dale Alvarez Jr. and JanaLu Lizama Salvador.
"JanaLu, she's my neighbor. And that one there, (Alvarez) is my dad's pare's son, and I've known them growing up. So they're both family so...maybe I should just write myself in, no?" he said, laughing.
Alvarez defeated two other Democratic candidates in the primary, but the two others still had strong support. Salvador said she's fighting an uphill battle going against an established village name.
"It's been a good day. Very positive, having all the support of family and friends. Santa Rita, we're all one big family so the vibe is good," she said. "We both obviously want what's best for our village. We're approaching it differently, but at the end of the day it's all about the people and the residents that we care about. Hopefully we can continue to work together regardless of the outcome."
Alvarez is a junior, and he hopes to maintain a family legacy that his father Dale Sr. established over the last 16 years in four terms as mayor.
"He told me to keep it real. Keep the hard work going, but I want to continue that with my ideas," said Alvarez.
Sånta Rita-Sumai and its 1,900 registered voters enjoyed one of the highest turnouts of all villages with more than 48% of voters casting primary votes.
At M.U. Lujan Elementary School in Yona, camps still lined both sides of the street leading into the school gate.
