First time voter Ashish Sharma exited from his polling site in Jackson Heights, New York, at noon. A 23-year-old, he could've voted in the last election, but said he hadn't "woken up yet".

This time, with his father and mother standing next to him, he said the issues of terrorism and the war were too important to ignore.

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"I voted for [President George W] Bush," he said. "Bush couldn't prevent the 9/11 attacks but he definitely prevented attacks after 9/11. I've heard [Democratic challenger John] Kerry debating and he's said his policies will be different, but what exactly is he going to do differently?"

His father, Sudarshan, agreed. Like his son, he felt the president should've assembled a more international coalition for the war in Iraq, but otherwise approved of how Bush directed the war on terrorism. "He did strong action," he said. "He's an aggressive president."

For other voters, the issues lay elsewhere. Shailesh Patel, a newsstand owner whose business had just shut down, criticised the current administration's record on the economy and jobs.

"They need to change the government," he said.

His unemployed wife, Anjana, also voiced concern for the economy, as well as for Medicaid and safety in the school system. Her many relatives throughout New York and New Jersey were also voting for Kerry. "They all feel the same way," she said.

Their concerns were echoed by Mohammad and Layla, Democratic voters leaving the polling site with their two children.

"The economy, that's the main thing," said Mohammed, voting in his seventh election. "We're having some tough problems. I've been out of college for two years and the job that I want isn't available."

When he did find a job he wanted, it was one that paid less than odd jobs he was holding down, something he was hoping a Kerry administration would help address.

"The tone of the administration has to change," he said.