MADISON, Wis. -- The polls have closed in Wisconsin and high numbers of voters in the state have cast their votes on Election Day.

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The Associated Press is reporting that Democrat Barack Obama defeated John McCain in Wisconsin, capturing 10 electoral votes in a state that has not gone for a Republican since 1984.

The call Tuesday was based on an analysis of voter interviews, conducted for the Associated Press by Edison Media Research and Mitofsky International. Those who voted for Obama said they hope the Wisconsin win will help propel him to the White House.

The waits at some Wisconsin voting sites were an hour or more Tuesday, but election workers reported few problems.

Poll observers said the longest lines came when polls opened at 7 a.m. The crush of voters who arrived early created waits of up to an hour at some sites in Madison and Milwaukee.

Election workers braced for another rush once workers started leaving their jobs in the late afternoon. But mostly, they said the process ran smoothly except for routine technical glitches and registration problems.

Turnout appeared high in many parts of the state. A poll worker at a downtown Madison voting site said more than 1,000 people voted there by 10:30 a.m.

State election officials predicted a record turnout as voters cast their ballots for U.S. president, Congress, the state Legislature and some local referendum issues.

Turnout was expected to be 74 percent of voting-age adults and 91 percent of the registered voters, and election officials urged voters to be patient and plan to wait in line. Poll monitors were also out in force looking for any problems.

About 3.2 million people were expected cast ballots in the state Tuesday. The previous highest number of votes cast was 3 million in November 2004.

As many voters flocked to the polls, there were some voting troubles reported in the Madison area.

On Madison's West Side, a ballot mix-up at a retirement community and Jefferson Middle School caused problems for prospective voters and poll workers. A Madison election official said that 15 voting tabulators around the city weren't working properly and were replaced. (For more, read this article)

Meanwhile, in Middleton, a bomb threat caused authorities to evacuate Middleton High School and move all polling equipment to the nearby fire department building. (For more, read this article)

About 35,000 election workers staffed the polls across the state Tuesday.

On top of the ballot is the U.S. presidential race. Democratic contender Barack Obama seemed to have a substantial lead in Wisconsin, with nine polls in October showing him up over Republican hopeful John McCain by double digits.

No Republican presidential candidate has won in Wisconsin since former President Ronald Reagan in 1984, but in the past two elections the Democratic candidate won by a margin of less than half a percentage point.

In addition, all eight of Wisconsin's seats will be decided, but only the one in the 8th District covering the Green Bay area was expected to be competitive. In that race, incumbent Democrat Steve Kagen was being challenged by the same Republican that he defeated two years ago, John Gard.

In the state legislative races, majority control is at stake with Democrats hoping to win enough seats to take over the Assembly. Democrats already control the Senate 18-15 and aren't expected to lose the majority.

Republicans hold a narrow 51-47 majority in the Assembly. Republicans have held the majority in the Assembly for 15 years. But Democrats hope to capitalize on presidential hopeful Barack Obama's popularity and the economic meltdown and reclaim the chamber.

Democratic control of the Assembly could reshape Wisconsin politics. Democrats currently control the state Senate, and Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle isn't up for re-election until 2010. If the party can keep the Senate and retake the Assembly, it could dominate state politics.

Sixteen of the Senate's 33 seats were up for re-election Tuesday, with seven incumbents unopposed. All 99 Assembly seats were up, with 26 incumbents unopposed and nine seats vacant.

In perhaps the most hotly contested race, Republican state Sen. Alberta Darling was trying to fend off a challenge from Democrat Sheldon Wasserman, who decided not to seek re-election in the Assembly to take her on.

In Madison, officials said that more than 32,000 people cast ballots early by voting absentee after standing in sometimes long lines at the city clerk's office.

There are also several local and school issues on the ballot. One of the biggest is the $13 million referendum for the Madison Metropolitan School District, which would raise resident's taxes about $65 during three years.

Likewise, Oregon schools are also hoping to pass a referendum that would cost taxpayers about $10 a year.

For more election coverage, visit Channel 3000's Politics section.

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