Turnout is heavy at Dorchester polling stations as voters turn out to cast ballots in the presidential election. As of 6 p.m., city officials say that more than half of registered voters— 54.7 percent— have cast their ballot. The city is on pace to surpass its turnout in 2012, when President Barack Obama won re-election with heavy support from across all precincts of the city.

This evening, Florian Hall's 16-12 precinct in Neponset has the highest percentage of turnout in Dorchester at 73 percent as of 6 p.m. Codman Square Apartments posts the highest percentage turnout in the neighborhood— with more than 70 percent by early evening.

Savin Hill's 13-10 bellwether at Cristo Rey School has churned out the largest number of voters for a single precinct in Dorchester with 1,264 as of 6 p.m. The Sarah Greenwood School near Franklin Park is next with 1,211 and the Henderson School on Dot Ave. is next with 1,109.

A steady trickle of voters walked up the dark steps to vote in the Cristo Rey high school library just after 6 p.m. on Tuesday.

Some leaving said they felt prepared, having done their research on the ballot questions and candidates in the weeks before.

Rachel Hardy, 26, said she needed to get in her vote around her work schedule, setting aside time in the evening after her shift.

She voted for Clinton -- "I think she's the safer bet," Hardy said -- but didn't know there was a fifth question on the ballot, voting no on the Community Preservation Act.

Several voters said the process was simple, the location uncrowded. With multiple candidates running unopposed, some just voted down the ballot out of habit.

Though not outright pleased with his presidential options, 53-year-old Cliff Dufresne said, "I voted for Hillary, because Trump is a lunatic." He expressed misgivings about Clinton's ability to govern effectively because of Republican obstructionism.

"See what they did with Obama, and with the Supreme Court," Dufresne said. "For eight months they wouldn't hold a hearing; they're not going to do anything with her."

He felt the tax-surcharge CPA was reasonable. Voting against the slots parlor and legalized marijuana, Dufresne also came down against the cage-free eggs question. It seemed likely to "raise costs for the average consumer," he said. "Food's expensive enough as it is."

There were no lines all evening at Florian Hall where two precincts poll.

Many voters brought their young children along with them to the polls.

A ten-year-old girl named Taryn accompanied her mother to the polls. She will not be able to cast a ballot for another eight years, but she said that if she had been able to vote this cycle she would not know who to vote for President.

“I don’t like either of them,” Taryn said.

“She doesn’t like what she sees on television,” her mother explained.

John and Kathy Marklis said that they were glad to cast their ballots and be done with this election.

“We always fight about politics. But, we made it through this election, we can make it though another 20 years of marriage,” they joked.

They said that they agreed on all five of the ballot questions, but disagreed on the top of the ticket.

“I am hoping that tomorrow, the country is happy. She is going to get indicted and he is a lunatic. But everyone will be glad that it’s finally over.” said John Marklis.

Many hopeful voters were disappointed to learn that Massachusetts does not have same-day registration.

Vu Thang, who was not registered to vote, came to Florian Hall in the hope of casting a ballot for Donald Trump saying that he “wants to see a change.”

Outside the polling location, volunteers from both sides of Question 2 urged voters to consider the consequences of voting either way.

Christopher Martell and his wife Erin Hashimoto-Martell brought their two daughter to polls to hold “No on 2” signs. Martial said that his daughter goes to the Kenny School and he and his wife are both of the parent council.

Daphne Lawson, an organizer with Great Schools MA, has two students at the Kipp Academy. “A lot of people are tired of how the BPS handles money and their kids not knowing what they are supposed to know,” Lawson said.

By 12 noon, just over 27 percent of Boston voters made it to the polls— or 113,899 people, according to the City of Boston Election Department, which tracks turnout every three hours. The precinct with the highest percentage turnout in Dorchester as of noontime was the Codman Square Apartments, where nearly 40 percent of eligible voters had shown up. Pasciucco Apartments on Bowdoin Street saw a big spike in voters— the largest raw count of votes so far today in the neighborhood— with 624 by noon, according to the city count.

The morning rush was particularly busy.

By 7:30 a.m., 225 people voted at the Kenny School near Adams Corner. Just a block away, 400 people had cast ballots within the first hour at the Adams Street Library, a pace that slowed in the peak of the workday and then resumed in the late afternoon.

More than 47,000 Bostonians did not wait until today to weigh in on the contest. They cast their votes in the first-ever citywide early voting that commenced on Oct. 24.

Jennifer Smith, Maddie Kilgannon and Bill Forry contributed to this report.