hello, thank you for joining us, i'jc hayward. well, the long, bitter presidential campaign is over and now it is up to you to decide who will lead our country. where the the candidates today? begat checkan is in chicago,

but we'll start with randall pinkston where republican challenger mitt romney voted earlier today. >>reporter: mitt romney and his wife, ann, cast their ballots at a senior center in their hometown of belmont, massachusetts today. then they kissed each other good-bye. >> yeah, i feel great about ohio. >>reporter: romney head today a last minute campaign rally in cleveland where his running mate paul ryan joined him. ryan voted for himself twice today in the swing state of wisconsin where he's also running for reelection to congress. later today romney will be in pittsburgh, pennsylvania, a state as campaign advisers now say is up for grabs. >> in the last few weeks we've seen pennsylvania, the polls there tighten, and become a tremendous opportunity. >>reporter: romney hopes the enthusiasm surrounding his campaign leads to a big turnout at turnout polls. i'm randall pinkston in boston. >>reporter: i'm begat cheban in chicago. the president began with his supporters here in his hometown

this morning and played basketball with his friends. president obama arrived in chicago last night. he cast his ballot in early voting there almost two weeks ago. vice president joe biden voted this morning in his home state of delaware. even though the race is tight, obama's team predicts a victory. >> anyone wants to win the national election ought to speak to the concerns of the entire nation. this president does and he's going to win tonight. >>reporter: at a final campaign stop in iowa last night, the president made one last plea for votes. >> it's out of my hands now. it's in yours. >>reporter: both sides know it all comes down to who's better at getting their supporters out in battleground states. begat cheban, cbs news, chicago. and it looks like voter turnout is huge for the presidential election and there are some big races on the ballot in washington d.c. some people are waiting in line for hours in order to cast their ballots. bruce johnson joins us now from american elementary school in

northwest washington. -- from merch elementary school in northwest washington. >>reporter: hi, jc, we're off reno road in northwes washington. the precinct 33, merch elementary school turnout all morning long has been brisk. most people here voting by paper ballot, some 700 paper ballots have been cast by late morning. now, obviously the presidential race, obama/romney is driving a lot of this traffic, but also you've got some highly- contested local races. incumbents michael brown facing stiff challenges. you've got a couple of charter issues that are extremely important here. one of them says that people convicted of felonies can no longer seek public office. you might think that's a stretch, well, we've had two councilmembers who have pled guilty to felonies, one serving prison time right now and another one awaiting sentencing, that being the council chairman. we were also at shepherd elementary school today, that's where i voted. some 600 people are cast ballots by late morning. so brisk turnout throughout the city. want to mention one race, ward

7, that's where republican ron moteon, former head of the peez aholics taking on vet alexander. you might think this is an easy one, a slam dunk for alexander because it's a democratic town, but ron moton has the endorsement of the "washington post" and others. that's going to be a contest we'll be watching throughout the day. so, jc, that's it from here. this is actually a lull between votes around lunchtime. they expect heavy, heavy traffic this evening. polls close at 8:00, but if you're in line, of course, you're going to be allowed to vote. jc. >> thank you very much. bruce johnson reporting live. well, virginia's senate race between two former governors could very well determine which party will control the u.s. senate. kristin fisher has more now from a precinct in mount vernon. >>reporter: well, there's been a steady stream of voters throughout the morning at this precinct in mount vernon. but the biggest crowds and the longest lines were here before the polls even opened. nearly 200 people were lined up

here at washington mill elementary school to vote, a welcome sight for virginia's republican candidate for senate, george allen. >> it's great to see driving up here we are at -- whatever it is, 6:14 in the morning, so many cars. and it looks like virginians are ready to change the direction of our country in a good direction. >>reporter: in a race this close, every vote counts. george allen continued to campaign all the way up to the voting booth, and he made sure as tempting as it might be not to cut in line. >> it took me about 30 seconds to actually vote, but it took me about an hour to get through the line. >> we just stood in line for an hour and a half to make sure we cast our vote, so that's what it means to us. >>reporter: you feel like it really counts this year. >> oh, yeah, absolutely. without a doubt. >> absolutely. >>reporter: even though you all just canceled each other out. >> yeah, well, we hope that there's more, right? >>reporter: in this race, the other deem, democrat tim kaine, he spent the morning casting his vote in richmond.

all in, this race will be the most expensive senate race in the country and likely one of the closest. it'll all come down to those undecided independent voters, and just because they give a candidate a handshake on election day doesn't mean he'll get their vote. >> shook his hand, said hello. >>reporter: but you didn't vote for him? >> no. >>reporter: both candidates are preparing for a nerve- wracking night. they'll be each watching election night returns from their headquarters in richmond. kristin fisher, 9 news now. in addition to the presidential race,there are some other important contests and issues on the ballot today. in maryland, although the most controversial is gay marriage, if it passes, the state would be the first to approve same- sex marriage by popular vote. marylanders will also vote on the so-called dream act ballot initiative and if it passes, undocumented immigrants would be allowed to pay in-state tuition at local community colleges.

there's also question 7 which would allow for a casino in prince george's county and table games in five other gambling venues. coe wynn has more from forth washington. >>reporter: it's a big day in prince george's county where voters either get to place their bets or fold on a hot- button issue. a long line in fort washington with a lot on the line for question 7. a yes vote adds table games throughout the state. a no vote keeps a new las vegas- style casino out of the national harbor. >> no added revenue. >> 12,000 jobs. >>reporter: after $80 million poured into tv ads and countless protests, some voters aren't budging. >> these are the buttons that they push that we jump. i say no, let the people stop controlling us. we get the crumbs off the table, let them come back to the table later, but we control the conversation. this is not about us, it's about big money. >>reporter: with the voters getting the final say, local

leaders who are pushing for expansion are ready to accept the results. >> the people decide otherwise, that's how we'll move forward and we'll continue to do exactly what we're going to do which is bring more commercial development to the county and grow jobs and revenue. >>reporter: one scenario is the rest of maryland votes for question 7, but prince george's county voters vote no. that could mean that table games are still on the table, but the new casino might be out of the question. reporting in forth washington, coe em, 9 news now. in maryland and also in the district, the polls opened at 7:00 a.m. they will close at 8:00 p.m. in virginia the polls open at 6:00 a.m. this morning and they will close at 7:00 p.m. you can learn more about all the local candidates and ballot questions by going to our website, wusa9.com. just click on campaign 2012 and, of course, be sure to join us tonight for complete coverage of the races.

and when you are away from your television or your computer, you can still count on 9 news to bring you updated -- updated election results. just text election 9 to 25543 with your mobile phone. >>reporter: chaos and freezing temperatures with already weary voters. i'm allison harmalin in rockaway park, new jersey with that story.

victims still reeling from sandy, this is an election day they will likely never forget. thousands are still without power and many residents do not have a place to live. but even in the most devastated areas residents are overcoming all obstacles in order to get out and vote. allison harmalin has the latest. >>reporter: crowds have been streaming into these tents all

morning to cast their votes, people roaming through devastated neighborhoods to find this makeshift polling place. >> they don't have internet, they don't have tv, they don't have radios -- a lot of them don't have radios, so they're not aware this is set up. >> i wanted to vote. there's too much involved in it not to find out where to vote and get out there. >>reporter: election officials brought in generators to power these polling tents in the rockaway area of queens, new york. a week after hurricane sandy, the neighborhood is still flooded and still without power. even with all of the chaos, the system here in the tents seems to be working, but with only the generators for power, it's cold and the lights are dim. >> because there's a low light in here, because of the tents and there's not enough light at the little booths here. >>reporter: in nearby breezy point, nearly 100 homes burned to the ground during the storm. the city is sending buses to pick up voters and bring them to the polls. >> it's good because it'll make a difference, you know, and the way things are right now it's good to vote. >>reporter: to make sure all

new yorkers get to the polls, the state is allowing displaced people to vote at any polling site they can reach. >> we want everyone to vote, just because you're displaced doesn't mean you should be disenfranchised. >>reporter: for many, voting has never been as big a challenge. but these storm-battered neighborhoods are determined to make it work and bring some normalcy back to life. allison harmalin for cbs news, rockaway, queens. in storm-damaged new jersey, election officials scrambled to relocate polls and if voters simply cannot get to a polling place, state officials are allowing them to e-mail or fax their ballot. coming up next howard with our forecast. >> jc, it's been a chilly election day. temperatures right now low- to mid-40s. thankfully the winds are light. we'll take a to break with a look at some of those temps. still only 42 in rockville, 46 in reston and 46 in buoy. back with the seven-day forecast and we'll see about that nor'easter and how it may affect us as we go through the

middle of the week. you're watching 9 news now at noon.

howard is here with the latest information on the storm that is approaching. yeah, this nor'easter. we got low pressure coming out of georgia, south carolina, it's coming up the coast. that's going to happen tomorrow. shouldn't be too much of an impact here. we'll get some rain and maybe a couple of showers, but the coastal areas will see it a lot worse. yes, in new jersey they're going to get pretty hard once again, not like sandy, but they're still going to look

maybe for some snow wednesday night in the interior sections and could have some winds 50, 60 miles an hour along the coast looping with the waves and -- along with the waves and, yes, not a pretty situation up there. let's talk about our weather for this afternoon on this election day 2012. no excuses not to get out. a mix of sun and clouds, a lot of high clouds. that may keep temperatures in the upper 40s, forecasting a high of 49. it's going to be a little if-y if we get there. then this evening it's going to be chilly, but as the clouds thicken up, acting a lot like a blanket, so we won't be as cold as we were this morning. at 9:00 back down to 43 with those winds pretty consistent out of the northeast, oh, five, six, seven, eight miles an hour. not too windy in spite of the chill that's out there. it was a cold morning. we had a hard freeze in lots of spots. culpepper was 27, martinsburg 24. cumberland and fredrick 23. reagan national and annapolis did not get below freezing, a couple of spots right near the bay. but just for about everybody the growing season is effectively over. and we won't be dealing with

freeze warnings again until either the spring or hopefully not until next fall. we've got some 30s still in leesburg at this hour, while easton is 45. lower 40s in the shenandoah valley and only 40 in hagerstown. oakland is 32. there's still a lot of snow on the ground from last week. outside op our michael and son weather camera, you see the high clouds out there, giving us some filtered sunshine this noon hour. 45 and with a northeast wind at six, it makes it feel 42. but out on the weather terrace just a moment ago winds were really, really light and that's a good thing because tomorrow afternoon and evening we could have winds that are going to gust 30 miles an hour or more, thanks in part to a storm system which is in the south. not this guy. this guy right here coming out of georgia. here's the low pressure stretching out a little bit, but as this thing gets to the coast, the energy is going to transfer. another low is going to take over and come up the coast. if this were a month later, this would be quite the snowstorm, i believe. but temperatures are borderline and the track of this as opposed to yesterday is just a little bit farther east.

for us that's a big difference because it keeps the moisture a little bit farther to the east, the bulk of the moisture, that is. and west of town, i don't think you're going to see much from this. now, this afternoon we're generally sunny with the high clouds through 5:00. the thicker clouds will move in overnight, and here comes the rain as we get into 6:00 a.m. wednesday morning. but it's mainly along the coast. here's the area of low pressure right there. now, doesn't move much as we go from 6:00 a.m. to noon. in fact, it looks like it backed up a little bit to the northwest. so as we head towards the lunch hour, 1:00, notice the rain showers generally south and east of washington. we may see a little bit of wet snowflakes mix in during the afternoon and evening on the eastern shore, jersey, southern connecticut. but here, look, there's not just much of that moist falling in d.c. most of it is going to be east and southeast. and then tomorrow night we could be talking snow into jersey. this would be a problem, this stuff down here too warm. the problem is going to be along the coast because with this storm spinning out there, the winds are just going to howl on the coast. we're talking some gusts here

that could be 50, 60, haib 65 miles an hour right -- 65 miles an hour right along the coast. our gusts in d.c.30, maybe 35. they have all sorts of gale warnings and potential storm warnings will be posted later for the mid-atlantic and new england for the mariners. tonight in the upper 30s in town, mid-30s north and west. 45 tomorrow. could be a rain shower, especially east of town or maybe some wet flakes mixing in. no big deal. thursday 53 as the sun returns. then we warm up, 58 friday. saturday 66. in the morning join me at nats park for the heart walk. sunday the skins are out, but the ravens aren't, it could be near 70. we'll be back with more 9 news now in a moment.

i'm in the kitchen with c.g. wagner, executive chef c.g. wagner and she is with a new restaurant in northwest washington that's located at 14 and q streets northwest and it is called drafting table, one week. >> yes. >> my goodness, brand spanking new. >> very new, yes. >> are you excited? >> super excited. >> what are some of the famous dishes that you're going to present there? >> we have a little bit of everything. we have an eclectic mix. today i'm doing an herb roasted chicken, we have duck, burger on the menu and some fun stuff, we have mixed pickle veg plate. our motto is if it's delicious, it can go on the menu. >> when i looked at this plate and i saw the chicken, i went, what is that, baked, roasted. you said roasted, but you didn't use a roaster. >> no, not a traditional roaster. you sauti it in a pan first

which i can show you right now and you throw it in the oven. we're actually doing an herb- roasted chicken, so we have a nice mix of herbs here. >> what kind of herbs? >> we have rosemary, thyme, shallots, basil, parsley. >> you put it under the skin. >> yep. >> and then you put it in olive or or something? >> a little bit of olive oil. you want to put it skin side down right in the pan. >> in a hot pan. >> very hot pan, yes. you want to get a really nice color on it. so the color is what gives it to the flavor, so if you see that light skinned kind of chicken, it's not going to have as good of flavor as the crispy skinned chicken. >> do you have to do this the night before or several hours before when you put the herbs on or can you -- whoa, c.g., that's hot. it's cooking me. >> you can do it right before. >> and very quickly, you get it

crispy. >> yeah. you just want to get some nice color on it, flip it over. >> put it in the oven? >> turn this off, put it right in the oven. >> and bake it for how long? >> you want to bake it for about 15 to 18 minutes. >> oh, that's all? >> yep. at 375. that is all. >> and it'll cook? it'll be cooked? >> we're not doing a whole chicken, we're just doing half of a chicken. it does go quickly. there are some bones in there. >> i want to say the restaurant drafting table 14th and q streets northwest. go see executive chef c.g. wagner. she's new. she's got great recipes and a great menu for you, a little bit of everything, and look at that. doesn't it look beautiful? gorgeous. >> and there you go. >> thank you. with mashed potatoes and spinach. >> yes. so you can find all of our recipes online, and you ought to try it for yourself. >> thank you for being with me. >> thank you. >> that looks delicious. >> good lunch on a chilly

afternoon. it'll be near 50, sunny today. but tomorrow a couple of rain showers, maybe some wet thraiks later at -- flakes later at night. best chance will be east and southeast of town. and a nice warmup, well into the sect this weekend. looking forward to that. don't forget to go to jchayward.com and stay with wusa throughout the evening. we'll have the latest figures on local and national races. thanks for being with us. join us at 5:00.