From staff and AP reports

Early voter turnout today in Warren County and across the state was a mixed bag, with participation appearing heaviest in areas offering both presidential and congressional primaries.

Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann predicted a light to moderate turnout of voters.

Besides the presidential primary, which has focused national attention on the state, Mississippians are voting on two rare open congressional seats.

Polls opened at 7 a.m. and will close at 7 p.m.

In some areas, circuit clerks’ offices said morning rain may have slowed early voters. Rain was reported from areas of north Mississippi to the Gulf Coast.

In Warren County, polls opened on time and machines appeared to be in working order.

“There’s no problems early,” Warren County Democratic Executive Committee chairman Mary Katherine Brown said. Precincts farthest from the courthouse are expected to be the last areas to report vote totals, Brown said.

Turnout on the Republican side was comparatively light as expected, Warren County Republican Executive Committee chairman Karoline Finch said.

In Lowndes County, Circuit Clerk Haley Salazar said early participation appeared to be good despite wet conditions.

“Our poll workers are calling in and everything seems to be going smoothly,” said Salazar, whose county is voting in the 1st District congressional primary.

Salazar said Monday’s visit to Columbus by Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama “spurred a lot of interest here. We’ve had a lot of people coming in and asking about registering to vote … and we have had a lot of calls.”

Usually, the party nominations are decided by the time Mississippi holds its primaries, but not this year.

In the past few days, Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton, former President Bill Clinton and their daughter, Chelsea, have been campaigning across Mississippi. Obama began campaigning in the state Monday. He appeared at Jackson State University Monday evening.

Republican John McCain will be his party’s nominee.

“We’re getting national exposure that we’ve never really had here,” Hosemann said. “We rarely have two congressional seats that are not long-term incumbents. And this time, half of our congressional delegation, will now come up for election this time.”

Mississippi’s 3rd District is open for the first time in 12 years as U.S. Rep. Chip Pickering, R-Miss., has decided not to seek a seventh term. The heavily Republican district stretches from Oktibbeha County in the north to Adams and Wilkinson counties in the southwest.

The leading Republican candidates in the race are former state Sen. Charlie Ross of Brandon; John Rounsaville of Madison, who is the former Mississippi director of the USDA Office of Rural Development; Madison County businessman David Landrum and Pearl attorney Gregg Harper.

The other GOP candidates are James Broadwater of Flowood, Hardy Caraway of Quitman, Gregory Hatcher of Meridian and Bill Marcy of Meridian.

The Democratic candidates are Randy Eads of Starkville and Joel L. Gill of Pickens.

Four Democrats are vying for the 1st District seat held by Republican Roger Wicker before Gov. Haley Barbour appointed him to fill the U.S. Senate seat left vacant when GOP leader Trent Lott resigned last year. They are state Rep. Steve Holland of Plantersville, Prentiss County chancery clerk Travis Childers, Calhoun City Alderman Marshall Coleman and Brian Neely of Tupelo.

The Republicans are Glenn McCullough, Tupelo’s former mayor and the former chairman of the Tennessee Valley Authority; Southaven Mayor and former state Rep. Greg Davis and Dr. Randy Russell, an Oxford ophthalmologist.

Also running in the 1st District, which covers the northern part of the state, are Independent Wally Pang of Batesville and Green Party candidate John M. Wages Jr. of Tupelo.

A runoff in the congressional races, if necessary, will be April 1. The general election is Nov. 4.

Hosemann, during a news conference Monday, said between 125,000 and 150,000 voters are expected to participate in today’s Democratic and Republican primaries.

Hosemann said 100,000 ballots were cast in the 2004 presidential primary, which came after President Bush and Democratic Sen. John Kerry had won their parties’ nomination.

Hosemann didn’t anticipate any election problems. He said routine checks conducted by counties were glitch-free.

He said the 150,000 prediction represents only 10 percent of the state’s registered voters, which shows Mississippians are “not voting as we should.”

Still, thousands have turned out for the rallies, public forums and fundraising events sponsored by the presidential candidates.

On Monday, hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons sponsored a rally at Jackson State University, where hundreds of students gathered in the plaza on campus to show their support for Obama.

“It’s time to give the U.S. a different perspective on things,” said Laronda Manuel, 18, of Jackson. “Obama’s view on education and his plan to pull out the war in Iraq are great.”

But Barbara Thurman, an assistant in a Jackson law office, said Clinton’s got her vote.

“I’m supporting her because I see where she can really make these changes that she’s professing to make. She has experience to get it done. She was president before,” Thurman said.

Polls open

Polls are open in Warren County and across Mississippi until 7 tonight