Half a million people expected to vote today!
WOW!
MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (CNN) -- New Hampshire's governor predicted a record turnout Tuesday for the first-in-the-nation presidential primary as candidates zigzagged across the New England state trying to influence undecided voters.
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Cynthia Gunn of Bow, New Hampshire, takes her donkey campaigning on behalf of Barack Obama Tuesday.
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Gov. John Lynch said he expects half a million people to vote.
A wide open race in both parties and unseasonably mild temperatures could be contributing to the long lines at voting locations across the state.
"We've had unbelievable turnout for a primary," said I-Reporter Cynthia Gunn of Bow, New Hampshire. "It's a perfect voting day."
"Any other time we'd be having to shuttle a lot of people around, but people don't have a lot of excuses not to get out and vote today," said Gunn, a supporter of Sen. Barack Obama.
High turnout at polling stations is forcing the New Hampshire secretary of state's office to send more ballots to some polling locations, New Hampshire Deputy Secretary of State Dave Scanlan said.
In particular, the polling places were running low on Democratic ballots, Scanlan said, but no polling station had run out.
Scanlan initially said his office was confident voting could be completed with the number of ballots it had on hand.
But he later said he might be wrong in one or two cases. Should that occur, leftover absentee ballots could be used or the remaining ballots could be photocopied, initialed by a town clerk and counted by hand, Scanlan said.
The governor's prediction follows record-breaking numbers in last week's Iowa Democratic and Republican caucuses.
The New Hampshire secretary of state's office said anyone waiting in line when the polls officially close at 8 p.m. ET will be allowed to vote.




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