LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Monday was a busy day to cast your ballot ahead of Tuesday's midterm elections, but it was an even busier one for officials who were watching the polls.
"If you can see this line behind me, it's fantastic that people are actually in line," Pulaski County Clerk, Terri Hollingsworth, said. "I'm excited, it just gives me goosebumps to see that people are actually participating in democracy."
With just hours to go until the polls are officially open for Election Day, plenty of people have been taking full advantage of early voting.
"Through Saturday we had about 67,000 people who actually already early voted," Hollingsworth said. "So we did probably 5,000 more than we did this time in 2018."
It's not just Central Arkansas that has been seeing a boom— it's been happening statewide.
"We're running a little above the 2018 midterms with a little over 450,000 that's already voted," Leslie Bellamy, Director of Elections with the Secretary of State's office, said.
She added that part of the reason for that is actually what you'll see on the ballot.
"It'll bring a lot of people that might not normally vote," she explained. "I think some of the issues have probably brought people out."
The race for Governor, multiple Mayor races, and key issues have this ballot full of choices to make, and Hollingsworth that to see anything similar, we have to go back multiple years.
"2020 we did have a big ballot," she said. "Of course, we were in the middle of the pandemic and we had lots of people voting, especially by absentee."
While that ballot may be full, Hollingsworth hopes the polls will be even fuller on Tuesday.
She added that it doesn't matter who you vote for, it's just important that you get out and vote.
"No matter who you vote for, you have to just, please, exercise your right to vote," Hollingsworth said.
Polls are open from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 8th.