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GREENSBORO — Even before the polls opened at 6:30 a.m. today, the lines were starting to form.

At St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in northwest Greensboro, about 80 voters were already waiting in line before the polls opened.

It took about an hour to vote for those who were first in line. At a pair of churches on West Market Street, Peace United Church of Christ and St. Andrew's Episcopal, voters waited in a light rain as the sun came up.

At St. Paul the Apostle, "it was better than expected" Sidney Abernathe, 38, said after voting.

Abernathe voted for Democratic candidate Barack Obama, citing the economy as the biggest issue.

"There really needs to be change," he said. "I had never believed much in trickle-down economics."

Cherie Hirsch, 57, voted for Republican candidate John McCain. She cited his anti-abortion stance as the main reason.

"I don't believe in murder or murdering babies," Hirsch said.

Brian Lurey, 39, described his voting habits as more pragmatic than partisan.

Lurey voted for Obama, citing what he described as his charisma and his ability to inspire others.

But he also voted for Republican gubernatorial candidate Pat McCrory, the popular Charlotte mayor who grew up outside Jamestown. Lurey pointed to McCrory's experience as mayor of a large large city.

McCrory is running against Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue.

"I would not vote for party ticket," he said after voting at St. Paul. "It's really for the best candidate."

By mid-day, long lines had given way to no waiting. At the Lindley Park Recreation Center, where some people waited more than three hours to cast their ballots in 2004, there was at one point no one in line to vote.

Shortly after 2 p.m., only three people emerged from the Glenwood Presbyterian Church in 10 minutes. At Archer Elementary, three people were voting at the school's seven election machines.

Despite the midday slowdown, election officials expect Guilford County to break a voting record set in 2004, if early voting is any indication.

A total of 148,155 people cast ballots during the two-week early voting period that ended Saturday. George Gilbert, the county elections director, predicts that 80 percent of registered voters in the county will cast ballots. That means about 115,000 more will hit the polls on Tuesday.

Polls, meanwhile, show the presidential race too close to call. But at the very least, Obama has forced McCain to defend a state President Bush won by 12 percentage points four years ago.

He and running mate Sarah Palin held seven events in North Carolina in the past month to stem the tide, including a Palin stop Saturday in Raleigh. Obama, meanwhile, stopped Monday night in Charlotte for one of his final campaign rallies.

North Carolina, with its 15 votes, was an Obama target 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 at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, 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 here likely would be disastrous for his campaign.

Beyond the presidential election, 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 in the U.S. Senate. And a victory by Perdue over McCrory would put a woman in the state's top job for the first time.

"I do feel like the people of North Carolina are looking for the best leader to steer this state through these challenging economic times," Perdue said Monday at a campaign stop. "And I believe folks understand I'm that leader."

For McCrory, a victory would be historic, too. His party has held the governor's office for just 12 of the past 107 years.

"We have got passion behind our candidacy because I'm convinced that people want to change the culture of state government throughout North Carolina," McCrory said Monday. "We've run a great campaign. I'm so proud of it and I think it's going to end up with very successful results."

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 voters. Still, the estimate of about 4.6 million voters would be a 74 percent turnout of those registered - far higher than the 64 percent four years ago.

In addition to president, U.S. Senate and governor, voters go to the polls Tuesday to 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.

Visit News-Record.com tonight for live results and coverage.