HOUSTON -- President George W. Bush's parents don't have to wait until Election Day -- and neither does anyone else in Texas.

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The former president and first lady took advantage of the new early-voting program in Texas Monday to cast their votes.

In Florida, where another early-voting program took effect Monday, only some minor glitches were reported.

One Democratic state legislator reported getting an incomplete absentee ballot in Palm Beach County and the touchscreen system crashed in Orange County. That briefly paralyzed voting in Orlando and its immediate suburbs.

Sen. John Kerry and his running mate Sen. John Edwards urged Florida voters on Sunday to get out and start voting on Monday.

Republicans and Democrats alike are focusing on voter mobilization efforts in a dozen or so states that remain competitive. But Florida is getting special attention, in part because Democrats are seeking to avenge the bitterly disputed recount that propelled President George W. Bush to the White House in 2000.

In Tallahassee on Monday, the Rev. Jesse Jackson led a rally at Florida A&M University, urging students to "vote early and get the kinks out of the system." In Miami-Dade County, the Rev. Al Sharpton and former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno led a rally where about 150 people carried signs declaring: "Early Voting Counts" and "Every Vote Matters."

In addition to Florida and Texas, the states of Colorado and Arkansas also began early voting Monday. Several other battleground states have already begun early voting, including Iowa, Nevada, and New Mexico.