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After voting, Greuel and Garcetti vow to push until polls close

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Los Angeles mayoral candidates Wendy Greuel and Eric Garcetti have campaigned at a manic rate in recent days, putting hundreds of miles on the odometer as they criss-cross the city talking to voters at taco stands, subway stations and union halls.

As election day dawned Tuesday, both candidates vowed to keep pushing until the polls close at 8 p.m.

“Until 7:59 p.m., I’m going to be calling, showing up, going to subway stops, talking to people at stores and shopping areas saying: ‘You’ve got to go, it’s not too late,’” said Garcetti, shortly after casting his ballot at an elementary school in Silver Lake. “This could come down to a couple votes.”

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PHOTOS: L.A. voters head to the polls

Garcetti, who voted with his wife, said he believes many voters are only now tuning into the election, and can still be persuaded. He said that during a campaign stop Monday night at a Sherman Oaks frozen yogurt shop, he convinced three teenagers to vote. “I got them to each promise,” Garcetti said. “They’re going to text me when they’re done.”

Greuel cast her vote at Unitarian Universalist Church in Studio City, taking her 9-year-old son Thomas into the voting booth with her.

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She told poll workers that the whole family had been up since 4:30 a.m., when Thomas and his father walked through their neighborhood placing don’t-forget-to-vote door hangers while Greuel headed off for her first event in Boyle Heights.

FULL COVERAGE: L.A.’s race for mayor

In interviews, both candidates addressed predictions of low turnout and stressed the importance of voting.

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“My grandfather fought in wars to make sure all of us have the right to vote,” Greuel said, adding that she hopes “people will go out today and get excited about Los Angeles.”

Garcetti said he doesn’t care who people choose, just so long as they vote. “This election matters,” he said. “It’s about real things in your life, it’s about your city.”

After voting, Garcetti embarked on a day of campaigning that is scheduled to include stops at the Apple Pan in West Los Angeles, Original Tommy’s Hamburgers in Van Nuys and Two Boots pizza in Echo Park. His election-night party will be held at the Hollywood Palladium.

Greuel’s schedule also includes events at some of the city’s most beloved restaurants, including pit stops at Langer’s Delicatessen-Restaurant near MacArthur Park, Guisado’s Tacos in Boyle Heights and Brent’s Deli in Northridge before ending up at her election-night party at Exchange, a nightclub downtown.

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