MERRIMACK -- Traffic was congested around Merrimack High School Tuesday morning as motorists attempted to get in and out of the single polling site before heading to work.

"This is the busiest I've ever seen it," said Phil Straight, a Republican candidate for state representative. "There was quite a bottleneck early this morning, but the traffic seems to be better right now."

A police officer arrived on the scene to help direct traffic in and out of the high school, which alleviated most of the problems, according to Straight.

"I arrived here about 6:30, and many people showed up well ahead of me," he said.

Election officials predicted about 18,000 ballots to be cast in Merrimack Tuesday. More than 3,000 voters had already walked through the doors by mid-morning, according to election workers.

"There are a lot of good people running in Merrimack," said Straight, adding he was pleased with the high voter turnout.