Miriam Arroyo, a precinct official, center, helps a voter at Waimanalo Elementary School insert her ballot into the ballot box while a voter in the background ponders his choices before using the electronic system to vote. Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

Lily Zimmerman, 2, went looking for her parents as they voted yesterday morning at Manoa Valley District Park. Rebecca Breyer • The Honolulu Advertiser

Hawai'i's voters lined up by the thousands today to shape history. Many said they were spurred on by close presidential and mayoral races that finally gave them a chance to make a difference.

"It's the first time Hawai'i has ever had a chance to influence national politics. It's almost historic," said Hideo Kobayashi of Makiki.

Whether it was the young, first-time voters or long-time democracy participants, there was a distinctly lively, determined mood among the voters, said Lilla Levine, a precinct chairman at Roosevelt High School.

Lines of people — including a couple dressed in red-white-and-blue Uncle Sam outfits — were waiting outside the door when the polls opened at 7 a.m., Levine said. "Everyone was upbeat," she said. "People were more uptight during the primary, but it seemed like today they were relaxed and determined to make their vote count."

The lively scenes at polling centers across the state were in marked contrast to the languid mood poll observers noted during the primary election in September. There were also fewer problems than in September, when thousands of spoiled ballots were invalidated, observers said.

Several precinct officials said they were surprised by all the activity they saw during the day — especially because almost 20 percent of the state's registered voters had already cast their absentee ballots or voted at early walk-in sites.

The larger turnout, including thousands of new voters in Hawai'i, was mirrored across the country, where pollsters were predicting 10 million to 15 million first-time voters, in part because of a get-out-the-young-vote effort sponsored by rock stars and MTV.

First-time voter Kanani Paclib of Kalihi said the ballot-booth experience was nerve-wracking but satisfying.

"I saw it on MTV and I kept thinking that I've got to get out to vote, I've got to get out to vote," said Paclib, 21. "It was hard, but I knew I wouldn't feel comfortable when I got home at night if I didn't go and have my say."

Poll watchers said they noticed much more activity and enthusiasm than in past years.

"Even the people who showed up at the wrong place seemed determined to make their vote count. They were happy to wait while we sorted things out," said Charles Anctil, an election official troubleshooter who spent the day monitoring activity in polls throughout Makiki.

Longtime voters noticed the difference.

"Usually, there's plenty of parking when I come," said Walden Fukuda, a Waikiki bell captain who went to vote directly from work. "This time when I came, there were cars all over the place. It really gives me a sense that my vote may count even more this time."

At Kapalama Elementary School, the voters were lined up from 7 a.m. to lunch time, said precinct chairman Roberta Leung. By late afternoon, the lines were forming again.

"It's really exciting to see all the interest, especially from the young people and the elderly. They're all so gung-ho to vote this time," Leung said.

Even those who said they had been voting regularly for years sensed something special .

"I've been voting since I was 18, but this is different," said Leyton Torda, 29, a union electrician. "Maybe it's the presidential race or maybe it's the war, but the country is certainly divided and it's good to see people coming out."

If there was one thing that brought more people to the polls this year, it was the chance to affect close presidential and mayoral races. Hawai'i voters were showered with rare presidential attention in the waning days of the election, including visits by Vice President Dick Cheney, former presidential candidate and former Vice President Al Gore and dozens of recorded phone calls urging people to vote.

"I would have voted anyway, but it's probably the war and the tight presidential race that's bringing more people out this year," said Kelly Spencer, 37, of Kamehameha Heights.

"I think it was the war weighing heavy on my mind," said L. Twigg-Smith, who voted at Roosevelt High School today. "I knew I had to get out to vote when one of my kids asked me if Kerry was going to end the war."

For all the talk of war and close races, some people still brought the old-fashioned reasons to the polls with them. Pam Underwood of Kula, Maui, said she felt it was her civic duty to vote. "It's the only way to live in a democracy: to participate, to stand up and be counted, this year more than ever," she said after voting at Pukalani Elementary School.

"You've always got to vote," said Mark Gonsales, 36, an auto glass worker. "Otherwise, you can't be grumbling."