OAK PARK | Energized voters began arriving at Illinois polling places before dawn Tuesday, but some of them said they ran into problems with the state’s new electronic voting equipment.

“People seem to be very confused about how to use the new system,” said Bryan Blank, a 33-year-old librarian from Oak Park in suburban Chicago. “There was some early morning disarray.”

Blank, who said he decided to use a paper ballot instead of the computerized option, said it took him 20 minutes to vote — nearly all of which involved waiting in line.

Blank wasn’t alone.

An official at the Illinois State Board of Elections said the board’s phone lines were swamped with calls from frustrated voters who were complaining that poll workers were unsure how to handle the new machines.

A circuit court judge was tapped to decide whether Kane County precincts — with the exception of those in Aurora — were to remain open longer than originally scheduled, due to problems with the polling machines.

“He set a motion in place for the 223 polling places to be open until 8:30,” said Jay Bennett, chief deputy clerk for the Kane County Clerk’s office.

Everyone who voted between 7:00 and 8:30 p.m. were required to vote provisionally, he said.

Despite the frustration, voters sensed the importance of this year’s election, which could chance the balance of power in Congress for the rest of George W. Bush’s presidency.

“It’s always important [to vote], but this year, it’s even more so,” said Troy Woodtke, a 32-year-old environmental engineer from Oak Park who was one of the first people to cast a ballot at the precinct.

Meanwhile, candidates spent Tuesday morning hustling for votes, greeting commuters at train stations and visiting community centers as they tried to win over undecided voters.

Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich spent the morning greeting commuters near the Chicago Transit Authority’s Red Line. He planned to cast his own ballot at 10 a.m.

Republican challenger Judy Baar Topinka voted early Tuesday in suburban Riverside.

The Northern Star contributed to this article.