DALLAS — The lines were so long at some Texas primary polling places Tuesday that several voters didn't get to cast their ballots until Wednesday morning.

Photo by Kevin M. Cox

Precinct 106 voters swarm around a table to sign in during the Democratic caucus the Transitional Learning Center on 15th Street in Galveston on Tuesday evening after primary polls closed.

Texans went to the polls in record numbers for yesterday's primary elections. The overwhelming turnout led to shortages of paper ballots in some precincts and overflow crowds at post-election caucuses.

State elections officials say about 3.7 million Texans — or about 29 percent of the state's registered voters — had cast ballots with about 85 percent of precincts reported. The state's previous turnout record was 2.7 million set in 1988.

But the higher turnouts resulted in problems.

More than a dozen people were still in line to vote at midnight at a precinct at Nimitz High School in a predominantly black and Hispanic neighborhood of Houston.

Harris County election administrator Johnnie German attributed the slowdown to the huge turnout and difficulty verifying whether some would-be voters were registered. Similar scenes were reported elsewhere in the state, including in Bexar (BAYR), Travis and Tarrant counties.

The crush of voters caused a run on ballots in some counties where parties are responsible for ordering them. Washington County Elections Administrator Linda LaCross expected problems before the polls even opened yesterday.

Delays also pushed back the start of many caucuses. Once under way, some gatherings turned chaotic as large crowds showed up to choose delegates. Austin police dispatched three patrol cars to quell a minor disturbance at a Travis County precinct caucus.