Voting in Iraq

The first reports are in from Iraq as voters there cast ballots that will decide the fate of the draft constitution. The WaPo Foreign Service's John Ward Anderson and Jonathan Finer filed a dispatch at 7:57 Eastern time this morning: turnout is reportedly heavy in some Sunni areas (some places have had to receive extra ballots already), with most voters there saying they oppose the draft document. Clashes between coalition troops and militants in western provinces are driving down turnout in those regions, the report indicates.

Voting is brisk and enthusiastic in Shiite and Kurdish areas, Anderson and Finer report. We should know the results in two or three days.

This is indeed an important time for the Iraqi people. I hope that the voting continues to proceed with as little violence as possible, and that regardless of the outcome, the political process continues to move forward.

[Update: The polls have now closed. CNN's Nic Robertson reported that voting seemed heavier in this referendum than when Iraqis turned out in January to select a transitional government. -- 10:37 a.m.]