HIT: To a relatively smooth Election Day. There were concerns with an expected heavy turnout, that there were going to be problems with voting this year.

But in Cayuga County, as in most of the United States, voting was incident-free and went smoothly. To that, citizens should thank local poll workers and election commissioners for their hard work in keeping things moving along.

This is supposed to be the final year that New York voters will use the antiquated lever machines. So we hope the new optical-scanning voting system is as problem free next year as the lever machines were this year.

MISS: To the closing of the Aurora Inn for the winter. Yes, the inn used to close for the winter in the past, but that doesn't make the decision to close it this year any better for the full- or part-time employees who are losing their jobs in an economy where work is hard to come by.

It may make sense to close during a slow period when tourists are few and far between, but you hope those laid-off employees are able to find new work quickly.

HIT: To all of the Election Day bake sales and meals that were held around the region on Tuesday. No matter if your taste was for cookies, cup cakes, chicken and biscuits or spaghetti, there was a place to enjoy it.

The food is a great way to get people to come together to support a worthy group or cause and a reminder of the quality of the community we live in.

HIT: To students in the Port Byron, Jordan-Elbridge and other local school districts that held mock elections for their students this week.

The mock elections are a great way to create interest in the political process in the young, helping them learn about the issues and eventually make them better-informed voters when they turn 18.

This election was a popular topic with students, the mock voting can only magnify that interest. Who knows, maybe a future politician was created?