Heavy turnout was reported in presidential primaries in North Carolina and Indiana Tuesday, the latest critical day for the nomination battle between Democratic Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
Turnout in the North Carolina Democratic primary was expected to reach 50 percent, according to Gary Bartlett, director for the North Carolina Board of Elections.
That figure would far exceed the 15 percent to 30 percent that usually turn out for a primary, he said.
The Indiana secretary of state's office will not release turnout figures until the end of the day, but Bethany Derringer, a spokeswoman for the office, said voter turnout was high.
Polling officials in Indianapolis, the state's largest city, said that they had set a record for voter turnout after being open for only six hours.
North Carolina election officials reported a minor problem in the town of Oriental after an election official failed to show up.
No voting problems were reported in Indiana.
A polling station in Raleigh, North Carolina, also saw a steady stream of voters since it opened at 1030 GMT.
In all, 187 delegates are at stake in Indiana and North Carolina.
Preelection polls show Obama has a solid lead in North Carolina while Clinton has an edge in Indiana.
However, barring the most unexpected -- a blowout in either state, or twin victories by either Obama or Clinton -- the more likely outcome is a continued and inconclusive nomination race.
With neither candidate expected to win the 2,024 delegates needed to clinch the Democratic nomination by June 3, the end of the primary season, the final decision will most likely fall to the 796 so-called superdelegates: Democratic governors, members of Congress and party officials.
Both North Carolina and Indiana are also holding Republican primaries Tuesday, but Senator John McCain of Arizona has already won the 1,191 delegates needed to win the GOP presidential nomination, making the primaries a merely "beauty contest".
Source:Xinhua
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