From the Richmond Times-Dispatch's never-not-amazing polling troubles page.

• One woman was arrested outside of the poll at the Whitcomb Court recreation room in the East End after she flicked a lit cigarette at a police officer. The woman was upset because she no longer was qualified to vote in the precinct, [Registrar J. Kirk Showalter] said. The woman was arrested and charged with littering.
• Two workers from opposing campaigns got into a fistfight outside the poll at George Wythe High School in South Richmond, she said.

Doug Sparks, a D.C. lawyer stationed in Richmond to monitor voting, has just stumbled into the Holiday Inn. He's heading to the bar, he says.

Sparks needs to charge up his cellphone. And, he says, he needs a drink.

It is 5:12 p.m. Sparks has been working at one precinct since 5:30 a.m. He says the turnout was huge and may be a record.

"I think our precinct is in the running for highest voter turnout in the state," Sparks says. "There is 2400 registered voters in our precinct. That's what we were told. As of a half an hour ago, there had been 1670 votes cast in our precinct today. In addition to that, there were 297--about 300--absentee ballots cast. I'm pretty confident that there is going to be over 2200 voters out of 2400 that cast their ballots...It goes until 7."

Sparks goes on: "This is an overwhelmingly dedicated Obama emancipation group that absolutely wouldn't have missed it for the world. It's going to exceed 90 percent in our precinct. I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't exceed 95 percent."

I ask Sparks if there were any problems. He mentions there was at least one instance of a touch screening screwing up--it went to the page for the presidential race and then just showed a blank screen. One voter said that he didn't get a chance to vote--the screen promptly said he had already voted.

In more McCain-friendly precincts, Sparks reports, the turnout was way low.

"I can tell you I feel very very good about what I saw," Sparks says. "This is one of those rare elections where really, really nasty weather benefits the Democrats...."

"I'm totally dead tired," Sparks adds.

Our poll watcher, Doug Sparks, reports in from Richmond at 11:50 a.m.

This morning, Sparks says, there was a three-hour wait to vote at his precinct.

There were only slight problems. The most recent thing--the Henrico County Sheriff drove by and planted McCain/Palin signs along a traffic median. "Once those went up, we called it in," Sparks says. "The Obama folks placed signs on either side of the McCain/Palin signs. Problem solved."

Earlier in the day, there was an issue with handicapped voters. "They are supposed to bring ballots to the curb, bring a machine outside or do paper ballot," Sparks says. Poll workers were cool "as long as the handicapped person waited in three hours of rain."

Another poll watcher got annoyed at seeing this and decided to help out. He moved the handicapped citizens to the front of the line and made sure they got ballots. "There was a minister-type guy who became their go-to," Sparks explains. "We funneled people to him. They wouldn't challenge this guy. We solved that issue."

Of the turnout so far, Sparks says: "There's no line right now. The line was still two -and a half hours long until about 10:30..... This precinct I'm in, there were probably 1400 votes." He thinks its 95 percent for Obama.

You might want to get used to the words "Vice President Palin." [Richmond Times-Dispatch]

In some precincts, voters experienced problems because optical scanning equipment was not working properly. In other locations, people were filling out ballots with wet hands and clothes, which caused problems with the machines.

Some lowlights of voting in the Virginia capital, as reported today by WWBT-TV.

• 308 precint Library
  Librarian overslept did not open until 5:55am and voters let in at 6:25am
• Swift Creek Middle School-Midlothian
  Machines stopped working -- no techanican on site. Long lines, hundreds of people waiting in line. Paper ballots were given out and filled out but can not be used because of broken machines. Ballots are being put in a metal container. Voters are worried about their votes being counted and privacy.
• Precint 108-Hunting-Henrico County
  Voting machines not working.
  Paper ballots are being filled out but put in an open brief case.
  Voters have no way of knowing if their vote will be counted.
• Southside Baptist-6000 Iron Bridge
  Cars being towed by WAWA

Seriously, if any locality can screw things up, it's this one. Should be interesting to see what emerges there--I'm expecting "Ukrop's Fried Chicken" to end up with at least three of the Commonwealth's electoral votes.