RALEIGH - Voters slammed early polling stations across the Triangle on Saturday, overwhelming workers and waiting in long lines for the chance to cast a ballot in one of the most historic presidential races in North Carolina history.

Saturday was the last day before Tuesday's primary that people could register and vote at the same time. In addition, many voters who were already registered said they wanted to get their voting out of the way or possibly avoid even longer lines Tuesday.

At Chavis Park in Raleigh, more than 250 voters remained in line when polls officially closed at 1 p.m. No one in line would be turned away.

"Move back some! Single file!" hollered Addie Copeland, the election supervisor, as she hustled voters from the hot sun to the gymnasium inside to wait for who-knew-how-long to get their turn.

"We're working well together," Copeland said gleefully, waving her arm along the line of voters. "Everybody's going to vote."

At the Wake County Board of Elections office downtown, the line wrapped around the building, more than 100 strong at 11:30 a.m. An election worker counted heads to let voters in by groups.

"We've got lines everywhere," said Cherie Poucher, director of the Wake County Board of Elections. "I think they're wrapped around every building. And we're processing them as quick as we can."

More than 5,000 people voted during four hours of early voting in Wake County on Saturday, bringing the number of early voters since mid-April to about 37,460, Poucher said. That compares with about 26,000 early ballots cast in the November 2006 general election, she said.

Terry Baker, 39, a software engineer from Raleigh, stood in line 45 minutes to vote early for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton because he feared a repeat of 2004, when he waited more than two hours to vote on Election Day.

Wake County had nine one-stop polling places; Chatham, Durham, Orange and Johnston counties also had one-stop polling places open Saturday.

Durham's early-voting tally -- 20,231 -- left elections officials in a state of civic euphoria.

"That is a huge record," beamed Mike Ashe, Durham's elections director. "It's just wonderful. Democracy has had a great couple of weeks. People were excited and voting, and that's just great."

In early voting's eight-year history in Durham, this turnout was the second-highest. The high was for the general election for president in 2004, when 46,000 people voted early.

Candidates were pushing the numbers. Robin Fisher of Raleigh said she received several messages from Clinton's campaign encouraging supporters to hit the polls.

"It's a tight race," Fisher said. "Everyone needs to come out and vote."

And Obama's campaign sent a news release shortly after noon encouraging voters to stay in line even after the 1 p.m. closing time.

In the spotlight

One of Obama's supporters, Will Cottrell, 33, of Apex, had been waiting about half an hour with his two daughters.

"It's nice to see our state finally has a chance to make a difference," Cottrell said.

Over in Chavis Park, Amy Stewart-Woods and her husband, Donald Woods, followed the line into the gym at Copeland's energetic direction. It was 1:15 p.m., and the couple had been there an hour. Election workers passed out bottled water and granola bars.

"I've come this far, I might as well stay," Stewart-Woods joked.

"It's wonderful," she said, looking at the line curling around the walls. "It's good to see."

Poucher said voters should have a shorter wait on Election Day, when voting hours extend all day and Wake County will have 198 polling places open.

"I would not expect the type of lines that we have today," she said.