N.H. Dep. Sec. of State – Heavy Turnout, “Smooth Sailing”

ABC News’ Karen Travers Reports: New Hampshire Deputy Secretary of State Dave Scanlan tells ABC News that he is hearing from around the state that turnout at this point is heavier than it was four years ago.

Scanlan voted this morning and at his polling place and said the lines were “out the door."

Scanlan added that for the most part it’s smooth sailing so far. There have been a couple of issues related to getting polling places set up, getting machines up and running but they have all been resolved.

New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner is predicting a record half million voters in Tuesday’s primary.

The Granite State’s population is approximately 1.3 million people-so if Gardner’s prediction proves accurate, then 38.4 percent of the state will turn out to vote on Tuesday.

Gardner estimates 260,000 voters in the Dem primary and 240,000 in the GOP primary. He also estimates that 150,000 of the half million total will be undeclared/independent voters (or about 30 percent).

In New Hampshire, undeclared voters can choose in which primary, Republican or Democratic, they will vote – and such voters make up 44% of the registered voters in the state.

Gardner is predicting a larger undeclared turnout in the Dem primary — 90,000 — as opposed to 60,000 in the GOP primary. Both Senator Barack Obama, D-Ill., and Senator John McCain, R-Ariz., are angling for those undeclared/independent voters.

The previous voter turnout record was 396,000 in the 2000 primary –  (239,523 on the GOP side and 156,862 on the Dem side) — or about 32 percent of the NH population.

If you’ve got a report due on New Hampshire on Tuesday, you’re in luck; below are the voter turnout stats for the past four elections:

2004
Dem primary — 221,309 (Dem record)
GOP primary – 69,414

2000
Dem primary – 156,862
GOP primary – 239,523

1996
Dem primary – 93,044
GOP primary – 210,211

1992
Dem primary – 170,333
GOP primary – 177,970