Voters in the western German states of Lower Saxony and Hesse were on Sunday electing state legislatures in polls seen as forerunners for the federal elections next year.
In Lower Saxony, some 6.1 million are eligible to vote, while in Hesse the number is 4.4 million, according to the German news agency DAP.
The polls opened at 8.00 am local time (0700GMT) and were to close at 6.00 pm (1700GMT).
In both states, German Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) have governed over the past five years.
CDU Premier Christian Wulff in Lower Saxony, at the head of a coalition with the minority liberals (FDP), is seen in opinion polls as likely to retain office, DPA predicted.
In Hesse, CDU Premier Roland Koch, who has fought a divisive campaign targeting youth crime and foreign criminals in particular, faces a strong challenge from the Social Democrats (SPD).
Source: Xinhua
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