The polls are open across Central New York until 9 p.m.
Barbara Esposito, of East Syracuse, cast her ballot at the East Syracuse Free Library earlier today.
Update at 4 p.m.:
Syracuse, NY -- Election officials in Onondaga County are spending primary day printing and distributing more ballots, Elections Commissioner Helen Kiggins said this afternoon.
Voter turnout was heavier than expected, she said, and despite printing 30 percent more ballots than used for primaries in 2007 -- "a good-sized primary," she said -- polling places are running short.
In addition, Kiggins said, more voters than expected are spoiling their first ballot and asking for a replacement. The combination of unexpected turnout and the spoilage rate has the elections board, whose permanent staff is down 20 percent from last year, scurrying to print and deliver ballots, she said.
And, officials are still having problems finding pens for voters to use to mark their ballots. Earlier today, the black-ink gel pens supplied to each polling place were running dry.
"We bought new pens, and they're too wet," Kiggins said. "The old ones were too dry. These are too wet."
Most of the sporadic problems with the voting machines reported today have come from the city, which is using the scanning machines for the first time.
"We're getting there," she said. "A little stressed, but we're getting there."
Earlier, The Post-Standard reported:
Syracuse, NY -- If you’re heading to the polls in Onondaga County to vote in a primary today, you’d be advised to bring a black pen, Elections Commissioner Helen Kiggins said.
Kiggins said were a number of minor problems reported as the county switched from the old lever voting machines to paper-ballot scanning machines for this election. Chief among the problems: The pens used by voters to mark the new ballots.
“Our pens are drying out,” Kiggins said. “Tell them to bring a black pen with them, if you’re putting something on syracuse.com. Our techs are out buying black-ink gel pens and dropping them off boxes of them at polling places.”
Cayuga, Madison and Oswego counties switched to the scanning machines last year. Elections officials in those counties reported no problems.
Turnout was reported light by mid-afternoon in Cayuga County, Commissioner Kate Lacey said. In Madison County, Commissioner Lynne Jones described the turnout so far as good. There was no word on turnout in Onondaga or Oswego counties.
In Onondaga County, Kiggins said that things were running smoothly, and all the polling places were open.
She said at several polling places, election inspectors had trouble opening the machines. In addition, one machine at the Manlius Village Center polling place malfunctioned and had to be replaced.
At the Engine 8 polling place in Syracuse, an election worker spilled coffee on Republican and Conservative ballots. In Salina, the Republican ballots were not cut properly and could not fit into the machines.
In both cases, the elections board had new ballots printed and taken to the polling station.
Kiggins said that in instances where problems arise, voters will be given affidavit ballots to use. The affidavit ballots will be counted manually after the polls close, she said.
Elsewhere, one voter in DeWitt said his ballot jammed as it was fed into the voting machine to be read by the scanner. Election workers were able to remove the jammed ballot and put it aside in a secure box. It will be read manually after polls close.
“We’re going to be doing a lot of hand-counting after this election, sounds like,” Kiggins said.
Reach John Stith at jstith@syracuse.com or 251-5718.