Super turnout creates caucus chaos across Twin Cities

Heavy turnout marked precinct caucuses with hotly contested races on both sides.

Minnesota voters clogged high schools, community centers and college union halls, some parking their cars several blocks away and standing in line for more than a half-hour to cast their caucus votes in the presidential race.

Many said they were first-time caucusgoers. Veterans marveled at lines longer than they had ever seen. It helped that Minnesota's caucus was held a month earlier than normal and neither contest was settled yet.

Lisa Wolf, a 39-year-old rookie caucusgoer, weaved her way through jammed hallways at a suburban Minneapolis school to cast her vote for Obama.

"We need new blood. Enough with all-in-the-family administrations," she said of her vote. "I'm sick of the same-old, same-old."

Retiree Nancy Carroll balanced Wolf's vote with a succinct explanation for why Clinton was her choice: "Simple. Compare the resumes," she said. "The presidency of the United States is not an entry-level position."

Turnout at the precinct caucuses also turned into a traffic tie-up on many metro roads.

The traffic jam of cars headed toward Sandburg Middle School in Golden Valley was reported to be as long as a mile. It was the same around Armstrong High School in Plymouth and Valley View Middle School in Edina.

The caucus site at Sandburg Middle School actually ran out of ballots. Party officials pre-printed 2,000 ballots, but ran out by 7:00 p.m. They made more ballots using a copier. Caucus participants had to park more than ten blocks away

Earlier, Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie predicted a heavy turnout for precinct caucuses.

The Secretary of State's office launched the precinct caucus finder on the internet January 15th. As of 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, the caucus finder recorded approximately 150,000 visits. That's more than twice the initial prediction of 60,000 visits through Super Tuesday.

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