New London, N.H. -- The enthusiasm for Barack Obama is palpable in this small town, as it is across the Granite State, among Democrats, independents and even many Republicans.

New London resident Nancy Malm, an independent and first-time activist, said she believes Obama will “listen to the other side” if he is elected president.

“Barack Obama is a compassionate man,” said Malm, who is in her seventies.

She said she would like to see a woman become president but not Hillary Rodham Clinton.

“I want to see the right woman as president,” she said. “I just innately, viscerally don’t mesh with Hillary.” Several Baby Boomer Obama supporters from Boston waved Obama signs at passing cars, eliciting a stream of honks and thumbs-up gestures from motorists.

Charlie Giles, 44, a former Navy pilot and Naval Academy graduate, held a John McCain sign at the town-hall balloting location just a stone’s throw from his house.

He pitched in for McCain during his fellow Annapolis graduate’s upset primary win over George W. Bush here in 2000.

“What you see is what you get,” Giles said, noting that he doesn’t always agree with McCain on policy. “The guy just radiates integrity.”

Giles said he might give Obama a look in the general election, depending on who the GOP nominee is. Candidates who don’t figure to win, place or show are also getting votes. David Bowen, 86, voted for Bill Richardson.

“My defining principle that I thought governed everything is that Bill Richardson has a great resume and is a great negotiator,” Bowen said of the former ambassador to the United Nations.

Warner, N.H. -- A steady stream of voters filtered into town hall here in this Frostian hamlet to cast ballots in the nation’s first presidential primary Tuesday morning.

Democratic candidates’ signs and election-day volunteers dominated the lawn, but there were also voters like Roy and Virginia Ferguson who showed up to cast their ballots on the Republican side for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

“He’s not from the establishment,” said Virginia Ferguson, who made up her mind long ago. “It was a tough choice between Mitt Romney and John McCain,” her husband said. “I’m a little worried about McCain’s age.”

April Blood, 35, said she voted Democratic, for New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, in part because she knew her favorite candidate, Texas Rep. Ron Paul, would not win. Clinton, she said, would look out for her parents and her children, the youngest of whom was strapped to her back.

“My parents are at that age that I want to make sure there’s something going on for them,” she said. And for her kids, Clinton is best positioned to ensure there are available jobs “when they’re ready to work,” she said. First-time voter Matthias Nevins, 18, liked Illinois Sen. Barack Obama’s platform on the environment, health care and other issues. And then there was the rock star thing.

“I went to a rally last night,” he said. “The feel was uplifting.”

Voters said they will be relieved when their phones stop ringing incessantly, but they are fiercely proud and protective of the role they play in the primary process.

Jim Mitchell, owner of Main Street Book Ends, a popular stop for candidates, said the face-to-face contact voters have with candidates is invaluable.

“We really, truly enjoy this every four years,” he said.