Hundreds of South Florida residents poured into elections offices to register to vote Monday, the deadline for signing up for the Nov. 4 presidential election.

The Broward and Miami-Dade elections supervisors extended their hours Monday to accommodate them -- to 9 p.m. in Broward and to 8 p.m. in Miami-Dade.

By late afternoon, the line in Fort Lauderdale was only a few people deep, and residents moved through the process in minutes.

Miami-Dade elections officials said all went smoothly at their offices.

''It's the most important election since the Depression; we are facing similar circumstances,'' said Steven Ghiorse, an unemployed Fort Lauderdale resident who updated his address on his registration Monday.

Monday was the last day for new registrations, but voters who are already registered in Florida can continue to update their addresses until Election Day.

While the number of voter registrations has surged because residents want to vote for Barack Obama or John McCain, several other high-profile races are on the ballot, including ones for Congress, the state Legislature and Broward sheriff.

Obama's popularity in Broward -- where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans 2-1 -- could help other Democrats ride to office on his coattails.

But several residents who showed up in Fort Lauderdale to register Monday afternoon said they knew little about the sheriff's race -- the most hotly contested countywide race on the ballot. On Nov. 4, Republican Sheriff Al Lamberti will face Democrat and former North Bay Village Police Chief Scott Israel.

''I don't even know who is running,'' said Ghiorse, a Democrat. ``I will vote strictly down party lines.''

Bill Fluharty, who moved from Jacksonville to Fort Lauderdale three years ago, was one of the few Republicans in line at one point Monday. The retired law-enforcement worker said Lamberti had his vote and that he would vote for John McCain for president. ''I think he is probably the best leader of the two that are running,'' he said, referring to McCain.

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