Election Day arrived beneath a gray morning sky.
For weeks, the entire nation had talked about little else.
Now the waiting was over.
Today, Valenridge would choose its future.
Long before sunrise, people were already gathering outside polling stations.
Some carried folding chairs.
Others brought umbrellas and bottles of water.
Many simply stood patiently in line.
Nobody wanted to miss this moment.
In the capital, television helicopters captured images that quickly spread across every news network.
The lines were endless.
Thousands upon thousands of citizens.
Young voters. Elderly voters. Factory workers. Teachers. Farmers.
Business owners.
People who rarely agreed on anything were now standing shoulder to shoulder for the same reason.
To vote.
Reporters moved through the crowds interviewing citizens.
A woman in her seventies smiled into a camera. I've voted in every election since I was eighteen." She wiped away tears.
