PINE RIDGE - Election day was a contrast of extremes throughout the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

Supporters of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama staged a battle of the banners at the intersection of U.S. Highway 18, S.D. Highway 407 and B.I.A. Highway 32 in Pine Ridge, asking drivers on their way to the polls to "honk" for their favored candidate.

Obama's camp won the sign size contest with a 32-foot banner that a campaign worker brought from California, but by late afternoon, Clinton's camp had more loyal supporters.

Reservation residents were aware of the historical significance of the down-to-the-wire race between Clinton and Obama, said Kevin Killer of Pine Ridge, a District 27 Democratic candidate for state representative and an Obama supporter.

By 3 p.m. Tuesday, more than 300 people had voted in Pine Ridge, an indication that voter turnout would be good, Killer said.

Democrats in Shannon County outnumber Republicans almost 9 to 1, a point that neither candidate overlooked.

Killer, 28, believes that the significance of having a national Democratic campaign unfold on the reservation is good for youths there. He said many of them know for the first time that "they can make a difference."

"The young people are really stepping up to the plate," agreed Francis Pumpkin Seed, from Hillary's corner. Pumpkin Seed, of Pine Ridge, said the election had turned into a "family event."

"We've had a mixture of people from young to old here today," he said.

About 15 miles to the north, in Oglala, a steady stream of voters wandered into the Brother Denny Center to cast their ballots.

A wake next door at Our Lady of the Sioux Catholic Church probably contributed to the steady stream of voters, according to Kim Bad Heart Bull, superintendent of the Oglala election board.

By late afternoon, more than 60 of the 1,000 registered voters had voted, which was a "good turnout," she said.

It may have helped that the Obama campaign was offering free rides to the polls. Election worker Bill Mendoza drove one van roaming between Oglala and Pine Ridge to pick up voters. He started the day at 6 a.m, distributing flyers in the area.

Further north at the Red Shirt School, poll workers Susan Two Bulls Shockey, Marilyn Martin and Carmen Yellow Horse kept a lonely watch. By 1:30 p.m., only 10 of the precinct's 140 voters had cast ballots.

"It's check day," said Shockey, superintendent of the election board. "People are going to town."

Carole Cuny, the former election board superintendent, had another explanation for the lack of voters: Ranchers took advantage of the sunshine to catch up on rain-delayed calf brandings.

Contact Andrea Cook at 394-8423 or andrea.cook@rapidcityjournal.com