With schools out and issues on the ballot, many parents looked at this year's election as a learning opportunity for their children. Burke resident Monique Quarles had Amber, 7, and Micah, 5, with her in the booth when she made her choices.
"The education issue brought me out, and the sales tax," she said.
Amber had the job of pushing the buttons.
"I didn't know what to do," she said.
Burke resident Brian Culbertson brought 10-year-old Alex, a fifth-grader at Terra Centre.
"I wanted him to go in the voting booth and see what the process was," he said.
Lorton resident Kim Barker-Brugman brought Jonathan, 5, and Jason, 3, to her polling place at Kingstowne Library on Telegraph Road.
"We talked about it on the way over," she said.
Jonathan paid attention once the curtain was pulled.
"Mommy kept saying don't hit the green button, but then I hit it," he said.
Barker-Brugman couldn't remember when she went with her parents, but she did remember voting for the first time.
"I know it was important the first time," she said.
Poll volunteer Julie Donnelly liked all the children she saw at Fairview Elementary School in Burke.
"There's a lot of kids coming in, which I think is great," she said.
Lake Braddock seniors Heather Padgett and Nicole Fandino brought the coffee and snacks to Cardinal Forest Elementary school for the Jay O'Brien candidacy. They were volunteering as part of a school requirement.
"For government, we have to do community service," Padgett said.
Hayfield senior Amy Brennan learned something as well.
"I wasn't familiar with it at all, I didn't know you had to do all this stuff to vote," she said.
OTHERS CAME out for a variety of reasons. Rebecca Davis remembered the days of suffrage.
"As a woman, it's very important for me to exercise that right," she said.
Doug Larkin looked at history as well.
"Men and women laid down their lives for the right to vote. I want to make sure I do my part," he said.
Susan Blazy and Charlotte Wink thought along the same lines.
"No matter what, I come out and vote. It's a privilege and an obligation," Wink said.
"It's a civic duty. I always vote," said Blazy, a Fairfax Station resident.
Although there were few close races in the area, except Virginia Senate 39th District seat between Rosemary Lynch and O'Brien, the sales-tax referendum was on many minds. Burke resident Jason Lotz experienced past political promises.
"I think it's a good thing to have the voters decide, or they [politicians] say 'no new taxes' and then they propose it," he said.
Steve Peth of Burke likes to address the issue as well.
"The tax issue is significant, that's kind of a big step for the voters to take," he said.
Cindy Steiner was at Terra Centre in the afternoon for a teacher conference, but she did vote earlier in the day.
"I think it was the sales tax. The rest of it was easy. Who's not going to vote for education and parks?" she said.