CLEVELAND -- With the credit crisis roiling Washington, Wall Street and the presidential campaign, voters in the key battleground state of Ohio cast their first ballots amid a controversy over the state's election procedures.

Hundreds of thousands of residents -- including vanloads of homeless voters shuttled to polling places by advocacy groups -- are expected to cast ballots before Election Day. This year, Ohio voters can cast an absentee ballot without having to cite a specific reason for voting early, which had limited...