Images of the vote, from a school gym to a shelter

Introduction

On a chilly Vermont morning, a voter fills out a ballot at a table near the old wood stove at Calais Town Hall. In Chicago, a woman votes at the Su Nueva Laundromat, surrounded by industrial washers and dryers. In Elizaville, Ky., a few people arrive early at a general store built in 1821 to cast some of the day’s first ballots.

Americans who show up at the polls on Election Day all have something in common — they’re filling in bubbles, punching holes and touching screens to choose who will represent them in government for the coming years. But the scenery and the imagery vary widely, together painting a portrait of a nation that’s diverse in its population, its geography and its culture.

Here’s a selection of AP photos offering a taste of what voting looks like around the U.S., from an elementary school gym in Montana to a makeshift shelter in coastal New Jersey