Long lines await New Mexico Democratic caucus goers

MEXICO DEMOCRATS WANTING TO VOTE TODAY... WE'RE TOLD SOME PLACES ARE EVEN WAITING FOR MORE ...  More »

MEXICO DEMOCRATS WANTING TO VOTE TODAY... WE'RE TOLD SOME PLACES ARE EVEN WAITING FOR MORE BALLOTS TO ARRIVE. IN RIO RANCHO, PEOPLE ARE ALL CROWDING INTO JUST ONE LOCATION. KEEP IN MIND, THAT'S FOR A CITY OF 80 THOUSAND. CRIS ORNELAS IS LIVE THERE RIGHT NOW. HE CONTINUES OUR LIVE TEAM COVERAGE WITH A LOOK AT HOW FRUSTRATED SOME PEOPLE ARE. THIS PRECINCT AT RIO RANCHO HIGH SCHOOL HAS BEEN BUSY SINCE BEFORE THE POLLS OPENED. COMBINE THAT WITH AN UNEXPECTEDLY HIGH TURNOUT AND YOU HAVE TROUBLE. IN SOME CASES PEOPLE WAITED TWO HOURES TO VOTE. THE LINE STRETCHED OUT THE DOOR LEAVING MANY WAITING IN FRIGID WINDY CONDITIONS. SOME VOTERS GOT WAITING IN FRIGID WINDY CONDITIONS. RANCHO POLICE HAD TO BE CALLED IN TO HAD TROUBLE WITH TRAFFIC AND PARKING... TIME AND TIME AGAIN VOTERS ARE TELLING US HOW BAD THE SITUATION IS HERE. 'everyone was just arguing about who has been here the longest and who is ahead of who 'everyone was just arguing about who has been here the longest and who is ahead of who basically because I heard a rumor that some of these people have been here like two hours''I haven't voted yet I came out to tell my ridse i'm gonna be a while i'll probably be ikn there a good three hours and I was here at 1200 exactly' THE POLLS CLOSE IN LESS THAN AN HOUR AND THE LINE HERE IS STILL VERY LONG. CRIS ORNELAS, EN4. OUR CAMERAS ALSO CAME ACROSS LONG LINES AT A NUMBER OF ALBUQUERQUE LOCATIONS. THE NEW MEXICO DEMOCRATIC PARTY ESTIMATED LAST WEEK THAT ONLY ABOUT 40-THOUSAND PEOPLE WOULD VOTE TODAY. THAT'S ABOUT SEVEN PERCENT OF REGISTERED DEMOCRATS. BUT TODAY THE PARTY CHAIRMAN TOLD US HE EXPECTS THAT NUMBER TO GO UP DRASTICALLY. IF VOTERS CONTINUE POURING INTO CHAVES COUNTY POLLS THE WAY THEY HAVE... ... THE TURNOUT WILL BE AT LEAST 50-PERCENT HIGHER THAN THE 2004 DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS. OFFICIALS SAY THE COUNTY'S 3 SITES HAVE SEEN MORE YOUNGER VOTERS THAN IN YEARS PAST. VOTERS HAVE THEIR THEORIES AS TO WHY. 'we've never had a woman running for president. Never in the us. And I think this is what really brought people out here.' AS PEOPLE GET OFF WORK FOR THE DAY... POLLING OFFICIALS EXPECT TO SEE A RUSH OF VOTERS DURING THE LAST HOUR THE POLLS ARE OPEN.  « Less