Iraq votes for first time since US pullout Iraq has carried out its first election since the US military withdrawal without major bloodshed in a major test for Iraqi security forces. But delayed elections in two provinces wracked by anti-government protests and complaints about missing names on voter rolls overshadowed the vote. The results will be a key measure of support for the country's vying political coalitions and could boost the victors' chances heading into next year's parliamentary elections. Thousands of candidates from 50 electoral blocs were vying for 378 seats on provincial councils, which hold sway over public works projects and other decisions at the local level. Officials ratcheted up security to thwart insurgent attempts to disrupt the vote. Nearly all cars were ordered off the roads in major cities, leaving streets eerily empty and giving children a chance to play football in the middle of highways. Scattered violence - mainly mortar shells and small bombs - struck near polling places but they resulted in no fatalities, in a departure from a wave of bloodshed earlier in the week. Six people were reported wounded on Saturday. As in past elections, voters dipped their fingers in purple ink after casting their ballots to prevent repeat voting. Among them was Oday Mohammed, a businessman who brought his mother, wife and children along with him to vote for a candidate from Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's State of Law bloc. He said he believed both candidates and voters were growing more experienced with the democratic process following the 2003 ouster of dictator Saddam Hussein. Not all politicians are corrupt. There are some good people," he said at a polling centre in the mainly Shi'ite district of Kazimiyah. The vote comes at a time of rising tensions between Iraq's Sunni Arab minority and the Shi'ite majority that has dominated politics since the US-led invasion a decade ago. In a reflection of those sectarian strains, many voters said they were encouraged to participate by religious leaders. "I don't have any hope that the situation will improve, but I had to take part because our clerics asked us to so we don't lose out like in in the past," said Anwar al-Obaidi, a 60-year old Sunni barber in Baghdad. Election results were not expected for several days, but turnout in sections of Baghdad, the southern oil hub of Basra and other cities appeared light. Militants stepped up attacks ahead of the vote. A wave of car bombings and other attacks on Monday killed at least 55 people and wounded more than 200. Another bombing at a packed cafe late on Thursday left 32 dead and at least 14 candidates were assassinated in recent weeks. Several would-be voters in Baghdad's mainly Sunni neighbourhood of Azamiyah could not find their names on voting rolls at several polling centres, so they went home without casting ballots. I'm disappointed. We're missing the chance to make a change," lawyer Raed Najm said after failing to find his name at four separate polling stations. Jana Hybaskova, the European Union envoy to Iraq, described similar voter registration problems at polling sites in Baghdad's upscale Mansour district, a mixed Sunni-Shi'ite area. Sunni lawmaker Mohammed al-Khaldi from the opposition Iraqiya bloc said he received complaints from voters in Baghdad and in Diyala province about missing names on voting rolls as well. He also accused Shi'ite militiamen of burning ballot boxes in Diyala, which is home to both Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims. Voting took place at more than 5300 polling centres for members of provincial councils who will serve in 12 of Iraq's 18 governorates. Officials last month unexpectedly delayed voting in two largely Sunni provinces, citing security concerns. The provinces, Anbar and Ninevah, have experienced four months of large anti-government protests, raising questions about the motives behind the delay. Some 13.8 million voters were eligible to participate in the provinces taking part in Saturday's vote.