Huge Turnout Makes New Hampshire Primary Results Hard to Predict

The presidential candidates for each party spent a final day traveling across the state of New Hampshire in search of votes. Today there is nothing for them to do but wait for the results of New Hampshire Primary start to poor in. Within a few hours it will all be over. Some campaigns will rejoice, others will be satisfied and continue campaigning in the other early primary states, and still others may take defeat with grace and bow out of the race.

At midnight last night the first votes were cast in Dixville Notch and Hart's Location, two scarcely populated towns with a tradition of starting off the first in the state's nation primary. John McCain and Barack Obama won those early contests, according to a report by CNN.

The states large population of independent voters will play a decisive role in the outcome. In New Hampshire, independents may register to vote in either party's primary on the day of primary.

Polls released on Monday showed McCain and Obama leading their respective races in aftermath of the recent ABC/Facebook debate. Both polls, one of likely voters in the Democratic primary and one of likely voters in the Republican primary, were conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center.

Turnout is expected to be huge. The Boston Globe reported New Hampshire Secretary of State William Gardner as expecting a record turnout of 500,000 voters.

MSNBC and other sources have also reported that the New Hampshire Secretary of State's office is rushing to supply ballot boxes to towns who have experience unexpectedly large turnouts of voters on the Democratic side of the ballot.

The large turnout could increase the suspense for the candidates and their supporters. Although McCain and Obama are expected to win in New Hampshire, many believe that turnout will be the deciding factor.