Ohio voters' stoic resolve keeps state critical in battle for White House.(Chicago Tribune)

Byline: Tim Jones and Andrew Zajac

COLUMBUS, Ohio _ A record number of Ohio voters_1 million more than four years ago _ cast ballots in a hard-fought battle for the state's 20 electoral votes, but the race for this pivotal state was too close to call late Tuesday.

Exit polls showed Sen. John Kerry drawing strong support from young voters, political moderates, single women, African-Americans and people making less than $50,000 a year. President Bush, who won the Buckeye state by 3{ percentage points in 2000, gained the backing of upper income households, conservatives and married couples.

The outcome was expected to hinge on voter turnout in …