Goochland County appeared headed for a possible record voter turnout Tuesday as citizens lined up in the rain before the polls opened.

“We had at least 50 people standing in line and it had already started to drizzle,” said poll worker Linda Thurston at Fife Precinct in western Goochland County.

“It’s the first time we’ve seen anything like it,” said Fife’s Chief Poll Worker Veena Brown. “They were lined up all down the driveway.”

By 10 a.m. 470 votes had already been cast out of 1183 registered voters at Fife.

Woody Barrack told a similar story at Sandy Hook Precinct. “We did close to 500 in the first two hours,” said Barrack. “They were lined up all the way around the building at 6 when we opened.”

Barrack said the voting had gone smoothly so far and everyone had been pleasant.

“This is Goochland, you know,” he said.

Willa Rhodes said she had voted for the McCain/Palin ticket.

“I think he is the more experienced level-headed person,” said Rhodes. “Experience is what you need.”

Romualde Azor said she had cast her vote for Obama.

“I do not make $250,000,” said Romualde, who said she favored Obama’s tax cut policy and his position on expanding health insurance.

“It was just a zoo,” said a tired Kathryn Roberts, chief election officer at the Manakin Precinct Tuesday evening shortly before 7 p.m.

Although the precinct was virtually empty by then, with just a trickle of late voters arriving, earlier things had been different.

Roberts said there were cars parked in ditches and people walking up the road from Route 6 in the morning crush, but it all eased up after about 2 p.m.

The precinct had two more voting machines than in 2004, for a total of 10.

“We couldn’t have done without them,” said Roberts.

She estimated turnout at 84 percent of registered voters, the most ever according to Roberts. Absentee ballots numbered more than 500, also a record she said.