US elections officials reported that turnout appeared strong Tuesday as Democrats and Republicans worked to get their supporters to the polls in key mid-term elections.
Republican voters are fired up by anger at President Barack Obama, so Democrats need their traditionally slicker get-out-the-vote machine to be at its best if they are to limit humiliating losses in Congress.
More votes the better for Dems
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
A strong voter turnout was therefore seen as a possible boost to Democrats, who have been battling an enthusiasm gap and are expected to lose control of the House of Representatives but just hang on to the Senate.
Obama's adopted hometown of Chicago, motivated by an intense battle over his former Senate seat and a contentious governor's race, experienced a surge in early voting.
"So far we're optimistic. We saw some pretty solid numbers in the morning," Jim Allen, spokesman for Chicago's election commission told AFP. "Whether those are matched by late afternoon or evening remains to be seen."
There were lines at several suburban Chicago polling stations on Tuesday morning and there was a sharp increase in the number of people casting early ballots, said Courtney Greeve, spokeswoman for the Cook County clerk's office.
Strong numbers
Minnesota, which typically leads the nation in voting numbers, had "really strong turnout in the morning rush," Secretary of State Mark Ritchie said.
"The weather is ideal -- it couldn't be better," Ritchie told AFP. "Those two things combined with very competitive races at both state and local levels give us a good sense that we might rise above our estimates."
Turnout appeared to be "moderate" but "steady" in Ohio despite several hotly contested races, said Kevin Kidder, a spokesman for the secretary of state's office.
A lot of people took advantage of early voting in the state and it's not clear whether that will increase overall turnout, he said.
Election officials in Wisconsin also reported strong numbers, as did officials in Kentucky, North Carolina, New York, Missouri and Virginia.
But Maryland was expecting a weaker than usual turnout of about 57 percent after surveying bellwether precincts, said Linda Lamone, the state's administrator of elections.
"One never knows," Lamone told AFP. "They could get all enthusiastic at 5 o'clock and rush to the polls."
The Democratic National Committee reported signs of "high turnout across the East Coast and moving into the plain states ahead of the lunch time voter rush" and cited "high turnout and volunteer activity in Democratic strongholds."
Mid-terms less tempting
Turnout is typically lower in non-presidential elections and was just 47.8 percent of eligible voters in 2006, which was the best mid-term turnout since 1994 when 48.3 percent of voting-aged citizens participated.
Some 63.6 percent of eligible voters participated in the 2008 presidential election, according to the Census Bureau.
Election day kicked off in a pre-dawn chill at 6:00 am (1000 GMT) in eight eastern states, and after moving across the nation's four time zones, would wrap up after midnight (0400 GMT Wednesday) in remote Alaska and Hawaii.
Vote counting in the most contested races is expected to take days, though experts believe there would be little doubt late Tuesday as to the overall winners and losers.
