Californians go to the polls
Unusually high turnout is predicted for earliest primary in state history.
Millions of Californians cast their ballots before the polls finally closed tonight in the nation's largest state primary, the earliest presidential contest in the state's history and the first in decades to give their votes enough muscle to help crown the Democratic and Republican nominees.
Elections officials predicted exceptional voter turnout throughout the state, probably driven by the furious last-minute round of campaigning by the candidates and the absence of clear favorite in the Democratic race between Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois or the Republican contest between Sen. John McCain of Arizona and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. Exit polls showed tight races in both parties.
"All indications are we are going to have a record turnout for the California presidential primary, but we won't know that for sure until we've counted the last ballot," Secretary of State Debra Bowen said.
The California election results are expected to roll in far later than usual, in part because many counties are using paper ballots, which must be fed manually into scanners. Bowen decertified the vast majority of electronic voting machines in the state last year, arguing that they were vulnerable to tampering and have defects that could affect vote tallies.
That may be particularly aggravating for partisans desperate to know who won California because both parties will award delegates based on the winner in each separate congressional district.
This morning, California voters were greeted with clear skies and mild temperatures throughout much of the state. And along with picking presidential nominees they tackled a modest slate of state propositions, familiar to many voters for the meddlesome television ad wars they triggered over the last month.
The ballot included measures that would expand Indian gaming and send more gambling revenue to the state, and retool term limits for state legislators. Voters also were asked to decide whether state community college funding should be locked in, and fees for the students reduced.
Throughout the day, there were scattered reports of problems at polling stations in Los Angeles County and in other areas of the state, specifically for some "decline to state" voters denied the opportunity to vote in the Democratic primary, state elections officials said.
