By KALEY LYON

klyon@dailynews.net

Dorothy McRae has helped with her share of elections.

She began working as a supervising judge in 1964 and has worked at five polling places within Ellis County.

This morning, however, she arrived at the Hays VFW, 22nd and Vine, at 6:15 a..m. to prepare for today's primary election.

"I enjoy doing it," McRae said. "I think more people ought to get involved in voting.

"It's a wonderful, wonderful system we have in America, where everybody has the right to vote. We just have to make the effort."

The VFW is one of six polling places in the city of Hays, with Ellis County offering other locations in Ellis, Victoria and Schoenchen. St. Nicholas of Myra Church, Hays, will serve as an extra voting location for township elections.

The polling places opened at 7 a.m. and will close at 7 p.m.

The team of about 10 poll workers at the VFW had been expecting a line of voters waiting when the doors opened.

Early this morning, however, it was only a slow, but mostly steady, stream of residents filing in to do their duty.

Gary Walters, Hays, was one of several who paused to vote on his way to work this morning.

Not only that, but Walters said he was encouraging his co-workers to do the same.

"I think it's very important for people to vote," he said. "There are people dying around the world for this right, and some people don't take it seriously."

Marilyn Wasinger, Hays, also got up a little earlier than usual to make sure she could cast her vote before the work day.

"If we aren't going to get out and go vote, we really don't have the right to complain when we don't like the choices being made," Wasinger said.

As for Eric Nelson, he said he learned the importance of voting from his grandfather.

When asked why he decided to cast his vote this morning, he didn't have to think long for an answer.

"That's what we're supposed to do," Nelson said with a shrug. "In a democracy, that's what you're supposed to do."

While the early morning turnout might not have been what some expected, McRae said the general election in November likely will be a different story.

McRae also has seen many changes in the voting process.

She was there when 18-year-olds gained the right to vote in 1971 and remembers helping count ballots until 3 a.m. after the first election with teenager participation.

While teen participation might not be as high as it once was, she said she has seen an increase in young people's participation in the past couple of years.

"They need to realize how important it is," McRae said.

She also was there in 2002 with the passing of the Help America Vote Act, resulting in the implementation of electronic voting machines.

McRae firmly believes in the importance of voting. Her father and brothers served in the military, and she knows the right to vote was not without cost.

"I think that's the least we can do, is to be informed voters," she said.