First Votes Tallied in Little State that Could Rock Nation

A primary that could have been little more than an afterthought is grabbing center stage today as America breathlessly awaits results in a suddenly surprising race. And New Hampshire results will likely be just as intriguing as Iowa's tally. Nobody can be certain whether the state's many Independent voters will vote in the Republican or Democratic primaries, the Washington Post reports.

Turnout is expected to be sky-high, especially now that state voters know the primary is far from sewn up by national frontrunners crowned by pollsters. "The state is as involved as it's ever been," said an advisor for GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney. Votes in two tiny hamlets, population 117 or so, have already been tallied, reports CNN. Frontrunners in one of the villages were John McCain, who grabbed 4 votes, and Barack Obama, who nailed 7. (More New Hampshire stories.)