Morning Edition

It's at least theoretically possible for either candidate to lose the vital state of Ohio and still reach 270 electoral votes by winning some combination of other states. Many of those combinations include Florida — infamous for voting irregularities in 2000.

Renee Montagne talks to Josh Rogers of New Hampshire Public Radio about voting in rural and urban parts of the state. Election Day starts early, at 5 a.m., in much of the state, and there's a new voter ID law.

Ohio is possibly the most important state in this presidential race. A challenge over early voting there has turned into a dispute over provisional ballots.

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RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

This is MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Renee Montagne.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

And I'm Steve Inskeep.

The triumph in some parts of the country this morning is that people are able to vote at all. Just over a week after Hurricane Sandy slammed ashore, people are voting today in New Jersey.

And in New York City, NPR's Robert Smith is in the Borough of Queens, part of New York City. He's on the line. Robert, what have you seen today?

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STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Good morning. I'm Steve Inskeep. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie finally met his state's favorite son. He attended more than 100 Bruce Springsteen concerts without meeting the devoted Democrat. But after the Republican governor toured storm damage with President Obama, the two embraced. Campaigning with Springsteen, the president later put the two men on the phone, matching the Boss with the governor who once sang Springsteen music in a TV appearance.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "THUNDER ROAD")