Unlike in Pennsylvania-where polls showed Democrat Bob Casey with a large lead over incumbent Santorum-the Virginia senate race is tighter. Recent polls show incumbent Republican George Allen narrowly trailing Democratic challenger Jim Webb. However, the state is considered by many to be a valuable barometer of the national campaign for control of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Missouri is another bellwether state, where Clare McCaskill is challenging incumbent Republican Jim Talent. There, reports have pointed to vote-flipping both at polling places today and in early voting before today.

Technical problems have plagued states across the Midwest, including Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. Florida and Utah have suffered similar problems, mostly involving broken machinery, or poll-workers without the technical expertise to operate them.

In Kentucky, a voter is suing a poll worker, whose name has not been released, after the volunteer allegedly attacked and choked him before forcing him from the polling location.

Larger national media organizations including MSNBC, The Los Angeles Times, and USA Today are featuring stories about the extent of election troubles across the country.

Seventy-five precincts in Indiana - considered a bellwether state - failed to open on schedule because machines malfunctioned. In Cleveland, where there were problems with new machines in September's party primaries, things seemed no better.

"Again the same problem," Champ said. "Machines and machine supervisors unable to get the operations underway. Voters piling up in the doorways."

In a fragmented system of electoral administration, this year many states adopted computer-based systems such as touch-screen voting machines. Some machines, but not all, spit out paper records for subsequent auditing and/or receipts telling voters how their votes were recorded.

With about a third of voters facing new equipment, problems showed up in several states right out of the gate, the Associated Press reported.

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Illinois officials were swamped with calls from voters complaining that poll workers did not know how to operate the equipment.

In Indiana's Delaware County, election agents said they would seek a court order in order to keep the polls open later, because they could not meet their deadlines given the way machines were operating.

Florida officials, hoping to avoid a repeat of the vote-counting debacle of 2000, sent out extra voting machines, paper ballots and poll workers. In the Jacksonville suburb of Orange Park, voters were issued paper ballots after a machine broke.

Paper beats machines: governor

In Maryland, voters received blunt advice from Republican Gov. Bob Ehrlich. Paper is more dependable, the governor said, and voters have a right to a paper ballot if they have any concern about the machines or technology.

Canada's centralized federal election machinery is the envy of U.S. voter-rights advocates, said Jonah Goldman, director of the National Campaign for Fair Elections, a Washington-based lobby group.

"Having a uniform process would dramatically decrease the types of problems that we're seeing today," he told CBC News.

American voting procedures can vary from county to county, Goldman said. "We've got over 4,000 election jurisdictions in this country that a lot of the time are administering elections in their own special way."

Voter smashes machine

Meanwhile, a would-be voter was arrested in Allentown, Pa., where election workers said he smashed an electronic voting machine with a paperweight.

Authorities didn't know what caused the outburst.

"He came in here very peaceably and showed his ID, then he got on the machine and just snapped," volunteer Gladys Pezoldt told The Morning Call of Allentown.

The machine's screen was damaged, and it was not immediately clear if votes recorded on it could be retrieved. Police said the man faced charges of felony criminal mischief and tampering with voting machines.

Because the calls come in repeatedly to the same voters, Democrats fear the annoyed recipients of the calls, who often hang up before it becomes apparent that the calls are being made by Republicans, will be turned off to their candidates, blaming Democrats for interrupting their dinner or sleep. Philadelphia Daily News columnist Jill Porter has a column today describing her personal experience with the calls.

Liberal and Democratic bloggers are writing about the calls. In at least one case, the authorities have stepped in. That's in New Hampshire, where according to an article in the Concord Monitor, the state's deputy attorney general said the NRCC agreed to stop targeting voters with the prerecorded calls since New Hampshire makes it illegal to target anyone on the federal Do-Not-Call registry with prerecorded political calls.

But the same article says has an NRCC spokesman saying they will continuue to make the calls to voters.

Meanwhile, there are complaints about what appears to be so-called push polls being used by Republicans to steer voters away from Democratic candidates, as reported in the New York Times today. Perhaps the most famous recent case of this was in 2000 when

All this is just more proof of the famous statement by 19th-Century columnist Finley Peter Dunne who said "Politics ain't beanbag." It wasn't then. It isn't now.

But recent polls showed Schwarzenegger with renewed popularity across party and geographic lines, including in traditionally Democratic coastal areas.

His victory is sure to raise his national stature and bring a fresh round of speculation about hs political future. Schwarzenegger has joked about becoming president but because he is foreign-born, it would take a constitutional amendment for him to run.

"The biggest Republican winner tonight is the one guy who can't run for president in two years," said Claremont McKenna College political scientist John Pitney. "Many Republicans will hold him up as a model for how the party can come back. He's the example of how to win."

A year ago, the race was the Dmocrats' to lose.

The Republican governor's popularity collapsed along with his grand scheme to realign political power in Sacramento. Schwarzenegger, 59, was forced to ponder the possibility that his first term might be his last.

But the former muscleman and Hollywood star abruptly changed course. He stopped belittling "girlie-men" legislators and public employee unions, and cut deals with Democrats on popular issues like global warming and road-building.

Aided by a rolling economy, his campaign won back Deocratic and independent support by blending Reaganesque optimism with a return to the middle-ground politics that helped propel him to office in 2003.

"The real key to this race began last year when the governor said, 'I'm learning, I haven't done everything right"', said Schwarzenegger's strategist Matthew Dowd.

The mandate from voters: "consensus and bipartisanship," Dowd added. "That's what the people are hungry for."

Schwarzenegger's new term, his first full one as governor, will also will be his last. Term limits prevent him from running again.

But Schwarzenegger did not leave himself much time to savour the victory. He leaves today for a trade mission to Mexico.

"This, without any doubt, is my favorite sequel," the actor-turned-politician told a cheering crowd at the Beverly Hilton.

"Politics doesn't have to be personal and government doesn't have to be gridlocked," he said. "Here in California, we are working together to show the rest of the nation that politics is about solving problems."

Angelides, 53, the bespectacled state treasurer who argued that the state needed a new face, not a celebrity sequel, suffered from campaign missteps, inadequate cash and lackluster party support.

"From the day we started this campaign, we stood up for what we knew was right. We stood up for the people who need a chance in government," Angelides said after conceding the race.

Nearly $27 billion in initiatives to rebuild highways, levees and housing - a pillar of Schwarzenegger's agenda - passed, and the remaining measure, more than $10 billion to bolster schools and universities, was leading late in the evening.

Schwarzenegger, 59, was seen as a bright spot for Republicans in a year when the party has struggled to hold on nationwide amid frustration with the war in Iraq.

A year ago, the race was Angelides' to lose.

The Republican governor's popularity collapsed along with his grand scheme to realign political power in Sacramento, and Schwarzenegger was forced to ponder the possibility that his first term might be his last.

But the former muscleman and Hollywood star admitted mistakes and changed course. Aided by a rolling state economy, his campaign won back Democratic and independent support by blending Reaganesque optimism with a return to the middle-ground politics that helped propel him to office amid the historic recall of Gov. Gray Davis in 2003.

"He's more in the middle. He's not really extreme," said Schwarzenegger supporter Marko Koosel, 35, a San Francisco engineer who called himself a pro-environment, anti-war independent.

Schwarzenegger's new term, his first full one as governor, will be his last. Term limits prevent him from running again.

One of two Republicans linked to the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal was fighting for survival. Rep. Richard Pombo, the chairman of the House Resources Committee, lagged behind Democrat Jerry McNerney, a 53-year-old wind-energy engineer who holds a doctorate in mathematics. Meanwhile, Republican Rep. John Doolittle held a lead over Democrat Charlie Brown, a retired Air Force officer and decorated war veteran.

Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown, infamously labeled Governor Moonbeam by critics during his days in Schwarzenegger's job, added another entry to his political resume with a victory in the race for attorney general.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., easily won a third term.

An initiative that would require parents to be notified 48 hours before their minor child has an abortion, unless the parents or a judge waived the requirement, was trailing late in the evening. A nearly identical measure was rejected last November.

Proposition 87, which would tax companies drilling for oil in California, was losing. Money from the tax would be set aside to promote clean energy. Hollywood and political celebrities including Bill Clinton, Al Gore and Julia Roberts got involved in campaigning for the initiative.

A measure prohibiting paroled sex offenders from living in many urban areas passed easily. A measure that would boost tobacco taxes to pay for health care was losing.

Voting technology glitches reported in the state included grumbling in San Diego about early morning electronic voting malfunctions. Similar problems were reported in Orange, Santa Clara, Nevada and San Joaquin counties. But the problems were mostly minor and overcome by afternoon.

"We believe Democrats will have control of the House, and look forward to working with Democratic leaders on the issues that remain foremost on the agenda, including winning the war in Iraq and the broader war on terror and keeping the economy on a growth path," Snow said by electronic mail.

Bush, who on Monday branded Democrats tax-raisers who lacked a plan to win in Iraq or defeat terrorists, was also expected to dump the harsh language of campaigning and endorse the softer message at a 1:00 pm (1800 GMT) news conference on Wednesday.

The Democratic surge will shape Bush's last two years in office and the already joined battle to replace him in November 2008 elections, as well as heap pressure on him to change course in Iraq.

A Democratic House could shape tax and spending legislation and trade agreements, conduct investigations into issues like the flawed case for war in Iraq and call Bush aides to testify at public hearings.

Senior Bush adviser Dan Bartlett described the president as disappointed by the outcome, CNN television reported.

It was unclear whether the White House would make concessions on Iraq -- Vice President Dick Cheney told ABC television on Sunday: "It may not be popular with the public. It doesn't matter, in the sense that we have to continue the mission and do what we think is right."

But Democrats pointed hopefully to a coming report from a blue-ribbon panel, headed by former US secretary of state Jim Baker and former Democratic representative Lee Hamilton, laying out suggestions on how to win the war.

Recovering from a final campaign push that took him to 10 states over five days, Bush voted at the firehouse in his tiny adopted hometown of Crawford, Texas, then flew back to Washington to await the judgment of US voters.

The US president issued a final rallying cry for voters to turn out for the crucial midterm elections even as worry-faced aides predicted victory.

"We live in a free society, and our government is only as good as the willingness of our people to participate in it," Bush said as he stood with his wife Laura outside the firehouse, an "I voted" sticker on his shoulder.

"And therefore, no matter what your party affiliation, or if you don't have a party affiliation, do your duty; cast your ballot and let your voice be heard," he said.

Democrats needed to pick up six of the 33 Senate seats up for grabs to win that 100-seat chamber and 15 seats to capture the House of Representatives, where all 435 spots were in play. Thirty-six of the 50 state governorships were on the ballot.

The White House had hoped to contain the political danger from anger over Iraq by painting the Democrats as defeatists who had no idea how to win, and seizing on Saddam Hussein's death sentence as a sign of progress.

But exit polls by six US media organizations found that US voters cited anger at Washington corruption their top reason for casting a ballot, while many cited their disapproval of the Iraq war and Bush himself.

More respondents called ethics scandals a motivating force, with 41 percent saying it was extremely important to their vote, than Iraq, which 37 percent cited as critical, according to CNN television.

CBS television found that 57 percent of respondents disapproved of the war, while 41 approved, and that more voters said they were casting ballots against Bush than to show support for him, by a 37-25 percent margin.

Ellison, who converted to Islam as a 19-year-old college student in his native Detroit, won with the help of Muslims among a coalition of liberal, anti-war voters. "We were able to bring in Muslims, Christians, Jews, Buddhists," he said. "We brought in everybody."

Ellison said his race and religion weren't as important as issues such as Iraq and health insurance for all. "We still have 43 million American uninsured. This is a problem for everyone in the United States," he said.

He advocates an immediate U.S. withdrawal from Iraq along with strongly liberal views. While Ellison did not often speak of his faith during the campaign, awareness of his candidacy drew interest from Muslims well beyond the district centered in Minneapolis.

Surprise choice of faithful

A significant community of Somali immigrants in Minneapolis cast their first votes for him in the crowded September primary. Ellison also was the surprise choice of party regulars.

While Muslim Americans make up less than 3 percent of the U.S. population and have largely been a non-factor in terms of political power, get-out-the-vote efforts in several Muslim communities could indicate they may become an emerging force.

Roughly 2 million Muslims are registered U.S. voters, and their ranks increased by tens of thousands in the weeks prior to Tuesday's mid-term elections, Muslim groups have said.

Since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks by Islamic militants, Muslim Americans have become sensitized to what many feel is an erosion of their civil rights. U.S. foreign policy that targets Muslim countries also has generated a sense of urgency, experts said.

"(Americans) treat us differently after Sept. 11. My own father was attacked," said Ellison supporter Khadra Darsame, a 1995 immigrant from Somalia. "Ellison said everybody matters equally and he told us what he would do ... he will do the right thing."

Born into a Roman Catholic family in Detroit, Ellison said his values were shaped by both faiths, along with his grandfather's civil rights work in the Deep South.

Opponents focused on Ellison's sloppy handling of his taxes and a slew of unpaid parking tickets, along with his one-time affiliation with the Nation of Islam, whose leader, Louis Farrakhan, has been criticized for making anti-Semitic remarks. Ellison subsequently said he worked with the group largely to promote the 1995 Million Man March.

Ellison also denounced Farrakhan, and he won the endorsement of a Minneapolis Jewish newspaper.