HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) -- Polling places in Connecticut were busy and problems with paper ballots were reported in some areas Tuesday morning as voters chose candidates for governor, Congress, the state legislature and other offices.

Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy was asking a state judge Tuesday to extend voting hours in Hartford, where multiple polling places didn't receive printed ballots in time for the 6 a.m. start of voting. Malloy said the problem caused him to vote about 35 minutes late and may have discouraged others from casting ballots.

Malloy's Republican challenger, Tom Foley, said there was no legitimate reason to extend voting hours in the capital city.

Problems also were reported in a few other towns including Wolcott, where one polling place briefly ran out of ballots.

Judicial Branch officials said a state judge and staff would be working late Tuesday to handle any election-related problems.

Officials and candidates had said they wanted to avoid any election problems such as those in Bridgeport in 2010, when voting was disrupted because officials didn't order enough ballots.

The contest between Malloy and Foley is a rematch of 2010, when Malloy won by 6,404 votes out of 1.1 million cast. It took several days of recounts that year before Foley conceded.

A Quinnipiac University Poll released Monday gave Malloy a slight lead over Foley, a Greenwich businessman and former U.S. ambassador to Ireland. However, that lead was within the survey's margin of error, prompting both major party candidates to campaign in the final hours of what has been a tight and contentious race.

Officials with the secretary of the state's office said polling places were very busy Tuesday morning. A steady stream of voters flowed into a polling station in the Hartford suburb of Glastonbury, including retired engineer George Carlson, 75, who voted for Republicans.

"Taxes. They're too damn high," he said, adding he was moving to the South because Connecticut is too expensive. "That's how bad it is. I'm outta here. I've been here all my life and I resent that."

Lifelong Democrat Andrea Grant, a state worker, said it was important to her to keep Democrats in charge, partly because of their history in the civil rights movement.

"Democrats are more progressive, more open to changes for the good of everyone, the middle class, the poor," she said.

Besides governor, Connecticut voters are choosing candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives, the state legislature and state constitutional offices including attorney general, secretary of the state, comptroller and treasurer.

There also is one statewide ballot question about changing the state's constitution to ease voting restrictions, which would allow state officials to consider early voting options including expanded use of absentee ballots and voting by mail.

Much of this year's gubernatorial campaign has focused on Connecticut's economy. While Malloy contends the state has turned a corner and the job picture has improved under his leadership, Foley claims the Democrat's policies, including higher taxes he proposed, have slowed the state's economic recovery and stymied job growth.

The election is considered one of the most negative races for governor in the country, according to an analysis conducted by Wesleyan University. Millions of dollars from outside groups, including the Republican Governors' Association the Democratic Governors' Association and gun-related organizations, has flowed into the race, often funding critical ads.

Both Malloy and Foley participated this year in the state's public campaign financing system and their spending has been limited to about $6.5 million apiece.

Conservative petitioning candidate Joe Visconti also is on the ballot for governor, but he announced over the weekend that he was throwing his support to Foley and urging his supporters to do the same.

Polls are open until 8 p.m. Tuesday.