Election day dawned as gray and rainy, exactly the kind of morning designed for hitting the snooze button and pulling up the quilt.

But across Goochland voters resisted the seductive comfort of their beds. They threw off the covers and braved the weather, ready to cast their vote for the candidate of their choice.

After months of divisiveness, people are gathering to stand in line, side by side.

And although they may be voting for different men, they are voting for the same purpose—to have their voice heard, to have the opportunity to influence the fate of our nation.

However this turns out, there will be a precedent set—either the first black president, or the first female vice president, wil be heading to the White House soon.

Change is exciting, and according to the political ads that have flickered across our screens over the past several months, crucial.

And people are stepping up to the polls, which are receiving crowds in what could be record numbers.

Here in Goochland, 470 of 1183 registered voters had already turned out, before the clock hit ten.

The county’s registrar, Frances Ragland, expects that 90% of Goochland’s 15,158 registered voters will venture to the one of the county’s eight voting precincts.

That involvement is what makes this election so exciting, as is the opportunity to be led by those who have too often been underrepresnted in our government.

And beneath the Mardi Gras atmosphere of camaraderie and celebration, the free cups of coffee and donuts various restaurants are handing out to voter’s sporting a bright “I Voted” sticker, is an underlying proof that apathy is not necessarily thriving these days.

People care. And an informed, and involved, constituency is one of the greatest changes that can happen in this country.

Now, staying informed, and involved, once the coffee has been drunk and the donuts thrown back? That is the next challenge we as a people will confront, come Wednesday.

But the crowds of people lined up in our county, in our state, in our country, is resurrecting my faith that we are capable of meeting, and transcending, any challenge, whether it be past, present or future.

More election coverage on our election page