news-record.com

RALEIGH (AP) - Up before dawn to wait in the rain, hundreds of thousands of North Carolina voters headed out Tuesday to cast ballots in what was sure to be a historic Election Day even before the polls opened.

There were lines, to be sure, especially in the day's early hours as those headed into the office cast a ballot before their workday began. But there were no reports of major problems, only a good deal of excitement among voters eager to add their voice to the record 2.6 million people who had already cast a ballot during the state's two weeks of early voting.

In Guilford County, vote-totaling software flagged two names of voters who appeared to have voted twice, according to staff at the Board of Elections' office.

Both will be asked to talk before the elections board on or by Nov. 14, said Charlie Collicutt, the county's deputy elections director. The board will then determine the county's official vote total for the fall election.

"The board has subpoena powers," Collicutt said.

A year ago, few pundits or pollsters thought North Carolina - a Southern state that has cast its electoral votes with Republicans for more than a generation - would matter in the presidential primaries, let alone Election Day. But Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama probably put it best: "If we take North Carolina, we'll take the election."

The pundits and the pollsters agree, and they believe the Illinois senator has a chance to win a state that hasn't voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since Jimmy Carter in 1976. Polls show the race too close to call. But at the very least, Obama forced Republican presidential nominee John McCain to defend a state that President Bush won by 12 percentage points four years ago.

"I feel that if we have another Republican in office, then nothing's going to change," said Molly McRogers, 26, as she voted for Obama in Durham. "And what we need is a lot of change."

By mid-afternoon, more than 200 had voted at the precinct in St. Matthews United Methodist Church, but one voter doubted of the necessity of her vote.

"They aren't going to my house to come help me," said Shantae Huskey, 31, of Greensboro on the matter of politicians. "It doesn't matter to me, it's never changed anything, and I've been voting since I was 18."

Huskey said that her kids influenced her to vote Tuesday.

"My kids were making sure that I voted for Obama," she said.

North Carolina, with its 15 electoral votes, was targeted by Obama from the first day of the general election campaign. He opened dozens of campaign offices and spent millions on TV ads, at one point outspending McCain 8-to-1 on commercials. His aggressive get-out-the-vote effort is credited with helping drive a record 2.6 million people to the polls during the state's early voting period.

Even before polls opened, his efforts appeared to be a huge success: the state said 52 percent of those casting early ballots were registered Democrats. Black voters - who polls show overwhelmingly support Obama - made up 26 percent of the early vote, compared with 17 percent in 2004. A loss for McCain in the state likely would be disastrous for his campaign.

To stem the tide, McCain and running mate Sarah Palin held seven events in North Carolina in the past month, including a Palin stop Saturday in Raleigh. And he had plenty of supporters, too, on Election Day.

"We're going to have another terrorist attack. And who would you want in there: Obama, with no experience, or McCain, who served our country with honor? It's a no-brainer," said Jim Parker, 63, of Charlotte. "I can't understand how anyone could vote for Obama. He's a lightweight."

As expected, voters were out before sunrise Tuesday, lining up dozens deep to cast ballots. Among those waiting: GOP candidate for governor and Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory, who waited about 15 minutes to vote in his Myers Park neighborhood. When a man offered to let McCrory cut in line, McCrory responded, "I wouldn't do it even if they'd let me."

Bob Hall, an elections watchdog with Democracy North Carolina who was monitoring procedures and problems around the state, said there were few.

Wake County had an issue with a machine that was jammed. At another precinct, a poll worker accidentally left a set of ballots in her grandson's car - delaying the site's opening by 36 minutes. A poll worker in Fayetteville improperly withheld some provisional ballots from those who requested them, but Hall said county officials corrected the procedural problem.

"They're matters of machine mistakes and human error that one would expect on Election Day," Hall said.

There was rain, too, always a concern for campaigns hoping for a big turnout. National Weather Service meteorologist Jason Beaman said sunshine was starting to appear in the mountains at midday, but light rain was steady across the central part of the state. More rain was expected along the coastal areas by late afternoon.

"No torrential downpours," he said. "Enough to get you wet, nothing too crazy."

In the race for U.S. Senate, Democrats hope state Sen. Kay Hagan of Greensboro can oust incumbent GOP Sen. Elizabeth Dole as part of a Democratic wave that could lead to a filibuster-proof majority. After voting Tuesday in her hometown of Salisbury, Dole didn't miss the chance to take a final shot at Hagan as their costly and often nasty race came to its end.

"I hope people will vote to re-elect me," Dole said. "I have the experience and my positions are clear on the issues. It's difficult to get my opponent to state her position on the issues."

History was in the making in the governor's race, no matter who claimed the state's top job. A victory for Democratic Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue would put a woman in the state's top job for the first time. For McCrory, a victory would put the GOP into an office the party has held for just 12 of the past 107 years.

"It's just a great day. It's what we all worked so hard for," Perdue said at a polling place in Durham. "It's about the future of North Carolina and the future of America. I'm glad to be an American today. It's one of my favorite days of the year."

The huge success of early voting - more than twice as many people cast early ballots this year than in 2004 - led the state to scale back its Election Day turnout prediction to about 2 million. Still, the estimate of about 4.6 million voters overall would be 74 percent of those registered - far higher than the 64 percent four years ago.

Besides president, U.S. Senate and governor, voters will choose a new lieutenant governor to succeed Perdue, an attorney general and seven other members of the Council of State.

All 13 members of Congress face challengers. Among them, Democrat Larry Kissell again faces GOP Rep. Robin Hayes in the 8th District. Kissell - a high school teacher from Biscoe - lost by just 329 votes in 2006.

New faces for insurance commissioner and state treasurer are assured, as Jim Long decided to step down after 24 years and Treasurer Richard Moore unsuccessfully ran for governor. All 170 seats in the General Assembly are up for two-year terms. One seat on the Supreme Court and six on the Court of Appeals also will be filled, along with hundreds of local seats.

Staff Writer Gerald Witt contributed to this story.

Check back at News-Record.com throughout the evening for election updates.