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Early Morning Voters Skip The Lines And Cast Their Ballots

By Tim Jimenez

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) --- Polls are open throughout the Delaware Valley, and some early morning voters got up to cast their votes in Spring Garden.

During the first hour at Benjamin Franklin High School, 36 people walked through a blue curtain and cast their ballot on Election Day 2014. Two hours later, close to 100 people voted. Some here say they don't want to take the power of the vote for granted.

"The importance is always critical," said one voter. "It's not only a right but it should be an obligation."

"This is like a no-brainer to me," said another voter. "I was brought up to vote in every election. And I feel like my vote counts."

"There are a lot of people in this world who don't have this opportunity, and we have it and it's readily available and it's safe for us to do so," said another voter who showed up early in the morning.

Ayana George brought her two young children with her. She says the kids may not fully understand the importance of the process yet, but if they're anything like mom, they will soon.

"When I was younger we had a little toy voting machine," she said. "Voting was very important in my family, so you have to start young in order for it to be something that's already ingrained in them."

Tatianna, originally from Russia, was proud to cast her ballot. "It's an amazing country, so if everyone makes a conscious choice, then the country will get stronger," she said. She left with a smile on her face, not just for voting, but because of the sticker that proves it. "I want to show it to my daughter," she said.

The election is so important to one man, he took a picture of the lack of a line, sent that to his friends to encourage them to get out today. Others took selfies with their I Voted Today sticker, and some like Clint got two of them. "Absolutely, in two languages," he said.

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