Those in the room for her party, most of them women, were united in their admiration of Bell, 72, who also was the first woman elected to a city office in Chillicothe when she won a council seat in 1975.

But opinions varied widely about which presidential candidate the women are supporting this year and why. Consider the views of three county poll workers sitting next to each other at Bell's party:

Loraine Sowers, 81, of Clarksburg, is backing John McCain because she's a Republican and thinks he has more experience than Democrat Barack Obama.

Democrat Jessie Kellough, 78, of Chillicothe, likes Obama and has confidence in his intelligence to handle the war in Iraq, the economy and other issues.

Thelma Stanley, 81, a Democrat from Bainbridge, voted for Hillary Clinton in the primary but isn't sold on either Obama or McCain.

In fact, a range of interviews with women in bellwether Chillicothe shows there are widespread views in this key voting group about which issues are important and which candidate should win.

"Women are as diverse a voting group as men are," said Margaret Planton, 59, who was Chillicothe's first and only female mayor, from 1997 through 2003.

A Dispatch mail poll of 2,542 Chillicothe residents conducted in December suggests that Democrats started the year with an edge.

Forty-four percent of women polled said they considered themselves Democrats, compared with 37 percent who said they were Republicans and 19 percent who said they had no party affiliation. More Chillicothe men called themselves Republicans than Democrats, the poll found.

Although slightly more Chillicothe women polled said they voted for President Bush than John Kerry in 2004, only 23 percent of Chillicothe women thought the country was heading in the right direction, compared with 31 percent of the men.

But women made up 59 percent of voters in Ohio's March 4 Democratic primary, and Clinton won them over Obama by a margin of 16 percentage points, 57-41.

Although some Clinton supporters are wary of Obama, Rachel Greene, 29, and Mary Jo Wolfe, 31, two students at Ohio University's Chillicothe campus, said they'll likely vote for Obama -- mostly because he's the Democrat.

"I don't want a Republican in office," said Wolfe, a Jackson resident studying social work.

Back at the county elections office, Bell says McCain may not be as conservative as she would like, but she supports him in large part because of the type of Supreme Court justices he would appoint compared with Obama's choices.

"That's more important than who the nominee is," she said.

The war in Iraq and gay marriage are the major issues for Christie Chester, 24, a school psychologist from Chillicothe. She considers herself an independent but supports Obama because she's been disappointed with the Bush administration.

The Dispatch poll showed that fewer women than men approved of the way Bush was handling the war in Iraq, and 69 percent of women wanted to withdraw most troops by the beginning of 2009, compared with 56 percent of men.

McCain supported the surge in Iraq, while Obama opposed the war.

Many Chillicothe women interviewed this week said the economy is their top concern, citing the high price of gas and the impact it's had on families in this hard-hit region -- especially on those who must drive long distances for jobs or schooling.

Bell suggested that candidates spell out in black-and-white terms what they would do to address high fuel prices, much as former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich did with his "Contract With America."

Health care is a major issue for Jennifer White, a 26-year-old health-care professional from Chillicothe who operates a heart-lung machine during open-heart surgery.

She's been studying Obama's plan for universal health-care coverage and McCain's call for a $2,500 refundable tax credit for individuals and $5,000 for families to make health insurance more affordable, but she's undecided.

"In an ideal world, what Obama says makes sense, but I don't know if it can happen," White said.

Bart Henshaw, an Obama supporter and former Chillicothe city councilwoman, said she hopes the campaign doesn't turn on issues such as abortion and gay rights. But she worries what role race could play.

"We have to get rid of fear," said Henshaw, 60, a retired teacher. "I hope the people of Appalachia will not be afraid to elect a black president."