http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/02/04/cal...lots/index.html





Paper Ballots Could Delay California Results By Ted Rowlands
CNN

Tuesday 05 February 2008

State faces potentially record-breaking voter turnout and paper ballots. More than a third of California's 58 counties will go back to paper. More than 700,000 more residents registered to vote Tuesday than '04.
Los Angeles, California - People hoping to stay awake long enough Tuesday to see who won California's primary might have a long night.

Returns from California's primary could be delayed because of paper ballots.

Polls close in California at 8 p.m. PT, 11 p.m. on the East Coast. Even those who think they might awaken Wednesday to see results of the Democratic primary might still be waiting.

California is the biggest prize of the 24 states holding primaries and caucuses on Super Tuesday.

At stake: 370 Democratic delegates and 170 Republican delegates.

Those numbers could make or break the contests between Arizona Sen. John McCain, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee on the Republican side, as well as Sens.Barack Obama of Illinois and Hillary Clinton of New York in the Democratic contest.

County registrars throughout California are warning that because of what could be record-breaking voter turnout and a change back to paper ballots, Tuesday's results may take some time.

Meanwhile, millions of California absentee ballots and early voting ballots are still out. Officials say many of those voters are expected to drop the ballots off at their polling places Tuesday.