KEENE – Despite the heavy voter turnout and the new voter ID law to contend with, young voters said voting today was great.

“I just think I needed to,” said 21-year-old David Belluscio of Keene. “I'm just interested in all the talk about politics going on around the country and I just wanted to participate.”

Bellusico was standing in line to register to vote at the Ward 2 polling place at Ward 2 in the Keene Recreation Center on Washington Street.

Ward Moderator Ellen Wishart said she expects that by the time the polls close at 7 p.m. about 300 new voters would have registered.

Yadra Voat, 25, an applied computer science major at Keene State College said although he has a driver's license he had to fill out a challenged voter affidavit because his license lists his mailing address not his residence.

He didn't find it an inconvenient though, nor registering to vote.

“I was registered in pretty quick order,” he said.

And when he realized he had left his notes about the candidates and the constitution amendments in his car, voting officials kindly held his affidavit so he could retrieve his notes, he said.

Steve Zemanek, 25, who is currently finishing up a degree at Keene State College, said his voting experience also went smoothly despite the fact he refused to show his voter ID. Instead he signed a challenged voter affidavit.

“I just wanted to take a stand because it's like ridiculous. And kind of silly cause if you can just do that [sign an affidavit] what's the point?”

20-year-old Emily Bellrose of Keene registered and voted for the first time.

“It took about five minutes. Actually it was kind of nice,” she said about registering.

“It was cool getting my opinion out there,” she said. “I just thought I should put my vote out there.