Voters head to the polls early in N.H.

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Voters, many lining up before dawn, turned out in spring-like weather Tuesday to pick their favorites for president with the independent vote holding considerable sway over the outcome.

About 45% of the state's 828,000 registered voters are unaffiliated and can vote in either party primary, according to the Associated Press.

There was even a smattering of results. By tradition, two northern state hamlets — Dixville Notch and Hart's Location — turned out at en masse at midnight, long before statewide polls open at 6 a.m., to cast the first 46 ballots of the primary seasons, half for Democrats and half for Republicans.

On the Democratic side, Sen. Barack Obama picked up 16 votes, Sen. Hillary Clinton 3, former Sen. John Edwards 3 and Gov. Bill Richardson 1. On the Republican side, Sen. John McCain got 10 votes, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee 5, Rep. Ron Paul 4, former Gov. Mitt Romney 3 and for New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani 1.

Secretary of State Bill Gardner predicted a record turnout of about 500,000 (previous high: 396,000 in 2000).

Like last week's Iowa caucuses, the primary in New Hampshire had the potential for shaking up fortunes of candidates in both parties.

Following a third place finish in Iowa, Clinton has lost her national lead on the Democratic side, a new Gallup Poll shows, and Huckabee has wrested the top Republican spot from Giuliani.

Obama, who won last week's Iowa caucuses, is now tied at 33% nationally with Clinton, who finished third. Three weeks ago, she had a 15-point lead.

Huckabee, who also won in Iowa, was at 25%. Giuliani had 20% and John McCain 19%. All were within the poll's margin of error of +/-5 percentage points.

Even on election day the exhausted candidates were still shuttling around the state trying to rally their supporters.

In Manchester, three GOP hopefuls —Giuliani, Huckabee and Romney — even ran into each other outside Brookside Congregational Church in Manchester, where 50 voters lined up before dawn to cast ballots.