BOSTON (AP) - Lines snaked down sidewalks, through parking lots and around buildings Tuesday as Massachusetts voters finally had their say on a historic presidential race and a slate of hotly debated ballot questions, including one to abolish the state income tax.

Richard Smith, a 76-year-old semi-retired truck mechanic, was struck by the intensity of the race between John McCain, who would be the oldest man elected to his first term as president, and Barack Obama, who would be the first black president.

"For months you couldn't turn on a TV without seeing their faces," said Smith, who voted for McCain at a Topsfield church. "There's so much going on, there's the war, and the economy and everything. Nobody's satisfied with what's going on."

Voters also must decide three ballot questions that have been the focus of intense campaigning.

Question One would eliminate the state's 5.3 percent income tax by January 2010. Tanya Roman, a 29-year-old assistant for a domestic violence program, voted no on the question, fearing it would mean deep cuts in funding for education and services for senior citizens.

"I think that's unjust. How are people supposed to survive in today's economy?" she said.

Jim Slater, a 40-year-old accountant from Topsfield, said he hoped a "yes" vote would shock state politicians into curbing spending.

"By forcing the politicians to start looking at spending, maybe they'll do something about it," he said. "If nothing's done, the system will crash on itself."

The second question would decriminalize possession of an ounce or less of marijuana in Massachusetts, punishing those caught with the drug with a $100 civil fine. Question Three would prohibit any dog racing that included betting or wagering - essentially closing the state's two greyhound racetracks by Jan. 1, 2010.

Of 11 congressional races, just five - including the seat of Democratic Sen. John Kerry - were contested. Kerry faced Republican challenger Jeff Beatty, a former CIA official and member of the Army's Delta Force.

Secretary of State William Galvin had predicted a record turnout Tuesday, with more than 3 million people expected to vote. The previous record, set in 2004, was 2.93 million voters.

A record 4.2 million people were registered to vote in Massachusetts in this election.

In Cambridge, some residents discovered their names were missing from eligible voter lists. Corrected lists were later distributed at polling sites, and anyone affected was allowed to cast a provisional ballot, Galvin said.

Galvin's office also sent an e-mail to WEEI-AM talk show hosts John Dennis and Gerry Callahan telling them to stop joking that the election had been postponed and Democrats should vote Wednesday. Calls to the conservative hosts and the station's programming director were not immediately returned.

In Somerville, the lines were long but the mood was light, as some voters allowed older people to cut ahead. Gov. Deval Patrick stood in line in Milton, just south of Boston, then headed to his native Chicago to attend Obama's election night festivities.

Dewitt Jones, 51, waited in line in Boston's Jamaica Plain neighborhood while his 8- and 11-year-old sons did some last-minute campaigning nearby with Obama signs and stickers. His oldest son, Cameron, even had a chart to track the states when returns started coming in.

"He hasn't taken his hat off - he has an Obama hat - for several months," Jones said.