With the nation's attention focused on the state and its pivotal Democratic contest between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, voters need to be prepared.

Expect long lines at polling places, driven by the heavy turnout as well as the thousands of new voters casting first ballots.

Elections officials, meanwhile, will face the challenge of handling the expected high numbers. Their key challenge will be to assure the reliability of the new electronic voting machines in use across much of the state. That, in turn, will test their training and the preparedness of election workers.

There are 8.3 million voters registered, roughly split between Democrat and Republican. That's an impressive record for a primary election, with the rolls swollen by more than 218,000 new voters - mostly Democrats.

An additional 164,026 voters are new to the Democratic fold, having switched parties this year. And nearly 15,000 voters moved to the GOP, where John McCain is his party's acknowledged presidential nominee.

Voters in Philadelphia and the suburbs will need patience and a dash of determination to be heard.

In the hotly contested three-way primary for a state Senate seat in Philadelphia's First District, they might don hard hats, as well. The front-runner's backers in windbreakers have a deserved reputation for bully tactics. So, city elections officials and watchdog groups will need to be on their guard.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. across the state. All of those first-time voters could slow the process. New voters can help their own cause by bringing the required valid photo ID or nonphoto ID bearing their name and address.

(Confused about your polling place? Call the election-day numbers listed below in the box with The Inquirer Editorial Board's candidate endorsements. Also helpful is the League of Women Voters Website at http://palwv.org/.)

Any voters who find that their names are not listed in the registration binder at their polling place can request to vote by provisional paper ballot. Here's hoping election officials have heeded the warning of Common Cause Pennsylvania and stocked enough of those special ballots.

Whatever the logistical challenges, citizens voting in the Democratic primary should be energized by the historic aspects of their election: the first female and African American candidates who really could win it all, battling each other. That's been a long time coming, and it's certainly worth any wait today.