News In Brief

Mondale No. 1 - at least in the line at his polling place

Walter Mondale arrived at his local polling place even before it opened Tuesday to be the first to cast his ballot, declaring with a smile, ''Everything's great.''

Geraldine Ferraro, casting her vote in New York, said she was confident of a Democratic victory and delighted by the opportunity to be the first woman ever to face the nation's voters as a member of a major party's national ticket. ''I feel wonderful,'' she said. ''I'm pleased that we put in our best effort in this campaign.''