Against chilly wind, divided voters in Virginia, a key battleground state, lined up Tuesday at polling stations as early as 6 a.m. local time to cast their critical ballots.

Voters began to cast ballots on Tuesday to choose their next commander-in-chief between incumbent President Barack Obama and his Republican challenger Mitt Romney who are locked in a dead-heat race.

The dynamics in Virginia have drawn unprecedented attention as many analysts see the state as being "critical" to the ultimate outcome of the elections. ` "I voted for President Barack Obama. I voted for him because I'm a woman. I also voted for him because I believe in the common good, and people who were not born with opportunity and I think they all deserve a fair chance," said Leigh Anne Daley, a mid-aged female voter.

Being socially liberal was another main reason why she chose Obama, Daley told reporters at a polling station in an elementary school.

Other voters support Obama for his economic performances. Richard Smith, also an Arlington County resident, believed that Obama has done a good job on economy and the nation "is on a better footing" than four years ago.

"The current unemployment rate is not high, considering how many jobs we were losing beforehand," said the 47-year-old federal employee. "Obama didn't cause folks to lose jobs. He is helping folks to get jobs."

Virginia used to be a Republican state. But in 2008, Obama became the first Democratic presidential candidate in 44 years to win the state. Whether Virginia goes blue or red this year remains up in the air.

Current exit polls indicate the race in Virginia is "literally a tie," meaning that Romney is enjoying an equally strong support in this battlefield state, particularly for his presumed ability to boost the economy.

"My family's issue is economy. I think that President Obama's policies have not been working. And Mitt Romney is from a family of business. That's why I voted for him," said 27-year-old Serena Firaun, an employee of a financial service company.

For 23-year-old Nienna, the reason to choose Romney is the same: he knows the economy better.

"I just feel that he personally reflects my views how the economy is right now. I think that's the most important thing, especially for my generation. I realized the difficulty in getting a job after graduation," said Nienna.

"Also, the economy is so sluggish during Obama's presidency," she added.

The polls were slated to last the whole day across the country, with the first results expected to come in after polls close at 7 p.m. in Virginia, which holds 13 electoral votes and is especially important for Romney in his path to 270, a threshold to secure presidency.

However, a projection of the election results won't come out until late in the night, as most toss-up states may produce too-close-to-call results. 

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