Florida voting went smoothly this evening as the state sought to banish the ghosts of the chaotic 2000 presidential election in a gubernatorial race pitting Republican incumbent Jeb Bush, President George W Bush's younger brother, against a Democratic rival.
Polling stations in the southern counties of Miami-Dade and Broward, which account for more than one fifth of the state's voters and saw voting irregularities two years ago and again in a September primary, opened on time and touch-screen equipment was working fine, elections officials said.
The story was the same elsewhere. "We've heard of a few problems, a few glitches this morning but nothing serious, it seems," said Jenny Nash, a spokeswoman with the Florida Department of State, which supervises elections. "There were a few precincts with trouble but that's to be expected."
"Floridians can finally breathe a sigh of relief that we are not going to be a focus of attention (for voting problems)," said Susan MacManus, a political scientist at the University of South Florida.
Opinion polls before one of the most prominent gubernatorial races showed Jeb Bush narrowly ahead of challenger Bill McBride, a lawyer and political novice.
Democrats would love to win the governorship as payback for the 2000 election, when the state put George W. Bush in the White House only after a bitter five-week legal battle over ballot recounts.
If Jeb Bush wins it would be the first time a Republican governor has been re-elected in Florida and would boost his brother's hopes for the 2004 presidential election.