It's All Over But The Voting, As Trump And Clinton Cast Their Ballots

By Jim Zarroli / NPR

Published November 8, 2016 at 5:59 AM PST

This story was published more than 8 years ago.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, accompanied by former President Bill Clinton, gives a thumbs-up to supporters after voting at the suburban elementary school that serves as her polling place.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, accompanied by his wife Melania, talks with reporters as he waits in line to vote at today at PS-59 in New York.

The rallies and debates, the tweets and the fundraisers, the wearying last-minute swings through the same half-dozen or so battleground states — all that is winding down at last.

Today it was time for the two major presidential candidates to perform the Election Day ritual of casting their own votes, just like average Joes, except for the fact that average Joes aren't usually trailed by dozens of reporters and TV cameras.

Become a KPBS sponsor

"I know how much responsibility goes with this, and so many people are counting on the outcome of this election, and what it means for our country, and I'll do the very best I can if I'm fortunate enough to win today," said Hillary Clinton, who showed up this morning at her crowded polling place in the New York City suburb of Chappaqua.

The former Secretary of State and her husband, Bill Clinton, voted early — just after 8 a.m. But the Democratic nominee was a laggard compared with her running-mate, Virginia Senator Tim Kaine, who appeared at his polling place in Richmond with his wife, Anne Holton, just after 6 a.m.

After a round of TV appearances, Kaine met friends at a local diner, something of a weekly custom for the Democrat.

A bit later in the morning, after one more Fox News interview, Donald J. Trump appeared at his own polling place, a midtown Manhattan public school where the walls were festooned with Thanksgiving decorations. With him were several family members, including his wife, Melania, and daughter Ivanka.

Trump flashed a thumbs-up sign and shook hands with an elderly woman using a walker.

Become a KPBS sponsor

"It's a great honor, a tremendous honor," the Republican nominee said, according to The Associated Press. He said he was feeling confident about the outcome, citing "tremendous enthusiasm."

Later today Trump will attend an invitation-only party at the New York Hilton. The hotel will also be the site of Trump's "victory party" tonight, his campaign said.

Trump's running-mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, headed home after also appearing at a rally in Michigan and was expected to vote later in the day.