Dale Hart | Lindenlink Contributor

A mixed crowd showed up early this morning at The Center of Clayton, one of St. Louis County’s sports and leisure complexes, to decide who will become the 45th President of the United States.

The complex served as the polling station for Clayton Townships 3, 10 and 11, which have witnessed a slight leaning toward Democratic nominees over the past four presidential races.

Keeping up with the recent trend, Clayton’s Democratic supporters were out in force to reinstate Barack Obama.

Lucy Hoblitzelle, an Obama supporter, said although she “hasn’t been ecstatic about the progress over the last four years, Obama’s policies need another four years to be implemented.” She added that a “change in direction now would be crazy. We are not economically or socially ready to jump ship.”

The notion that Obama needed more time to develop his policies was shared by other Democratic supporters. Susan Block said, “Obama is on the right track, we just need to give him a little more time.”

Another key issue on voters’ minds was healthcare. Democratic supporter Blight Kieffer said she “believed in healthcare reform and was pleased with the policies implemented by the government.”

Hoblitzelle agreed with this stance, saying she was “pleased that the government [had] managed to push healthcare reform through despite these rough times.”

In spite of this support, there were plenty of voters who deemed the current economic climate warranted a change in the presidency.

Republican voter Edgar Ellor said the situation had become completely “untenable” and that Romney was needed to “sort out the economy.”

This view was also shared by Republican Amanda Dearing who said, “Obama has had four years and failed to resolve our economic situation, he clearly isn’t business minded.” She added that “Romney’s business background makes him the more logical choice.”

Romney’s experience also factored in another Republican’s decision. Voter Mel Pinkert decided to agree with his campaign for presidency. Pinkert said that “his experience will be key in the economy’s recovery and I believe he will lead the nation in the right direction.”