The only problem: Blitzer can't tell them. The race is too close to call, and the results aren't in -- and won't be ready until early Wednesday or even later because Cuyahoga County and other counties still are counting ballots.

That might not happen, of course. Ohio's primary could go smoothly, and a winner could be declared long before anyone goes to bed Tuesday.

But election experts warn that with the combination of a possible record voter turnout, the competitive Democratic campaign and the introduction of more paper ballots, potential election problems loom.

The problems could include precincts running out of paper ballots, confusion and voting delays at the polls, state lawyers going to court to keep polls open late in some areas, or lawsuits challenging the outcome.

Edward B. "Ned" Foley, director of an elections-law program at Ohio State University, said late returns wouldn't necessarily be a problem because he thinks it's more important to ensure that vote totals are accurate than to get them fast.

But he said any major problems that delay the results or otherwise mar Tuesday's vote would add to a lingering nationwide distrust of Ohio elections because of controversy over the 2004 presidential election.

"I'm afraid that when the dust settles, that people will look back on March 4 not with a vindication of Ohio but an ongoing and continuing distrust of Ohio," he said.

Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, who made restoring trust in Ohio elections her priority when she took office last year, said she's taken steps to improve the system in her 14 months in office and is confident the state is prepared.

"I do think that things should go smoothly on Tuesday, and that's a good start for Ohio turning around its image around the country," she said.

Attorney General Marc Dann, who has lawyers ready if needed Tuesday, said Brunner's moves will lead to "a much better primary election and a much better general election than the voters of Ohio have seen in at least a half a generation."

But some election observers are worried, because of changes -- especially in Cuyahoga County, the state's most populous, which has a history of troubled elections -- and the 52 percent turnout that Brunner predicts.

"It's hard to prepare for something that's unprecedented," said Peg Rosenfield, elections specialist for the League of Women Voters of Ohio.

Brunner replaced the entire elections board in Cuyahoga and broke a tie there to switch in less than three months from voting on touch-screen machines to using optically scanned paper ballots.

Cuyahoga County Elections Director Jane Platten expects 450,000 ballots to be cast, and she can't say when results will be in, meaning it could be well into Wednesday.

That's important because Cuyahoga has 14 percent of all registered Ohio voters and 17 percent of all registered Democrats -- making it difficult or impossible to declare a winner in a close election if there are delays there.

Sam Feist, CNN's political director, said that if a winner can't be projected using exit polls and other analyses, the network will wait. That's what CNN did with Ohio in the 2004 presidential election and the Democratic primary in New Mexico this year, he noted.

"We're in no rush," Feist said.

Even so, there are concerns that counties using touch-screens could face confusion, delays and other problems because poll workers and voters will be dealing with an unprecedented "paper or plastic" voting option.

Brunner ordered that the 53 of Ohio's 88 counties using touch-screens -- including Franklin and all other central Ohio counties except Madison -- make paper ballots available at the polls for voters who prefer them.

Other states have run out of ballots, but many county officials in Ohio said that to ensure they have enough, they printed more than the minimum number that Brunner required.

If some precincts run short, Brunner has said that unused absentee ballots can be taken to the polls. She also said that paper ballots can be a fail-safe if the touch-screens go down or lines get long.

Still, concerns have been raised about the security of ballots as they are taken from the polls to central locations for counting, as well as about the casting of provisional ballots -- which must be on paper -- if supplies run out.

Elections officials in Franklin, Pickaway and other counties also have said they expect delays in reporting results because of the need to count both paper and electronic results.

Experts say the key will be turnout and how many people ask for a paper ballot. Brunner has said the minimum number of ballots will be enough because poll workers aren't supposed to offer them, but provide one only if it's requested.

But Brunner also printed posters notifying voters of the option and gave counties the option of displaying them.

The Dispatch Poll showed that 52 percent of Democrats and 38 percent of Republicans prefer a paper ballot.

The state has made efforts to speed up the voting process, including urging voters to cast early absentee ballots, allowing those ballots to be scanned early for quick tabulation when the polls close, and creating the option in Cuyahoga to pick up voted ballots at midday in busy precincts for early scanning.

Dispatch reporter Bill Bush contributed to this story.

mniquette@dispatch.com