12:30 p.m. -- Clerk: Voters better get in line soon

If you haven't voted yet, Marion County Clerk Beth White offered this advice just before noon: Go now.

"I'd recommend they get there right now, bring their ID and prepare to be patient," White said during a news conference in the clerk's office.

Polls close at 6 p.m., and White said turnout already is looking less like a primary than a general election. Based on reports from precincts, she said turnout may surpass the November 2006 election, when one-third of Marion County voters showed up, but might not be as large as the 2004 election, when nearly 54 percent of registered voters took part in the contest pitting President George W. Bush against John Kerry.

Four years ago, less than one in five Marion County registered voters showed up for the primary.

If you get in line by 6 p.m., you'll still be able to vote after the polls officially close. You must be within 50 feet of the entrance to the room where polling takes place. Keep in mind that 5 to 6 p.m. is the voting rush hour in any election, and poll workers will be tired.

Democratic ballots are popular even in southern Marion County precincts, normally Republican strongholds, White said. The turnout has prompted some nervous poll workers to call an Election Board hotline with worries about Democratic ballots running short, though none have run out yet.

White said she was "cautiously optimistic" that election staff printed enough Democratic ballots to satisfy the anticipated demand. So far, none have run out, she said.

One thing was clear by noon: Election results will take a while tonight. White said she would be surprised to have them available before 8:30 or 9 p.m.

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