Super Tuesday Snapshot, Missouri

ST. CHARLES, MO – Talk about coming down to the wire. Many voters here in St. Charles County, Missouri, tell NBC/NJ that they chose their presidential candidate within the past two weeks, and a few even say that they didn't know their pick for sure until the ballot was in their hand.

The reason for the last-minute choice? For Republicans, it might be dissatisfaction with the current field. One woman said that this election has been "frustrating" because no GOP candidate has emerged - to her – as an unambiguous conservative. Another St. Louis area business owner said that she's disappointed with the ascendancy of John McCain, who she says is "not truly representative" of Republican values. And one young student still wasn't sure that his vote for a Republican who "isn't a frontrunner" would make a difference.

On the Democratic side, precisely the opposite may be the case. One young voter said that she's so excited by the prospect of EITHER an African-American or a female president that she couldn't make up her mind until she walked in the door here. (She declined to say which of the two Democratic rivals got her vote.)

As young voters, these indecisive students aren't alone. There's been a very strong showing by the under-30 crowd here, with high participation from new parents and students sporting college sweatshirts.

Another interesting phenomenon – election judges say that they've noticed that a handful of their Republican friends and neighbors have opted to take a Democratic ballot. That could be due to crossover votes from moderate GOP types. But one longtime local speculates that some Republicans aren't sure whom they want in the Oval Office – "but they sure know who they DON'T want in there!"

(NBC/NJ's CARRIE DANN)