There were so many voters Tuesday night that people were still waiting to cast a ballot at 8 p.m. according to Travis County officials. They had to send in extra help to several precincts because the lines were so long.

Despite that as people shuffled their way into the ballot booth they seemed to be upbeat.

“My husband called in the middle of the day and said don't come now, the line is more than 30 minutes! So that's why I waited later,” said Monica Landers.

But most people came to the polls prepared to wait in line.

“I was kind of thinking there was going to be tons of people out,” says Nhi Lieu.

The voting lines might have been shorter because early voting totals were at record levels.

In Travis County, more than 115,000 people took part in early voting.

Democrats were turning out to vote at a ratio of more than five to one compared to Republicans.

But early voting didn't appeal to everyone -- for some, today seemed a better day to vote.

“I wanted to be here for the excitement of election day,” said voter Tiffany Allen.

“Actually it wasn't bad, no bad at all. Maybe 20 minutes,” said Doug Williams.

Williamson County voter turn out on the Democrat side was so heavy that paper ballots were in short supply - but voters were also able to rely on the few electronic voting machines.

Early turnout was also strong in Williamson County -- a 10% increase compared to the 2004 primary.

But after the voting wrapped up, the lines grew even longer. At one Northwest Austin precinct, hundreds turned out to take part in the caucus.