ADA COUNTY, Idaho — Ada County voters are turning out for the presidential election in record-breaking numbers.
"There's a lot of energy," Clerk Trent Tripple said. "We've seen higher turnout rates than we've normally seen in this type of election, both in absentee and in person early voting."
Since early voting started in Ada County on Oct. 15, Tripple said roughly 23,000 people have cast their ballot as of Monday evening.
In 2016 at this time, there were about 13,000 in-person early votes, and in 2020, there were 16,000, he said.
"To gauge that a little bit," Tripple said, "in 2016 we had 230,000 registered voters in Ada County. Right now, we have 320,000 registered voters. So, there's a lot more voters, but yet the numbers and the percentages are still much higher."
In addition to the presidential race, there are a number of controversial ballot measures. That includes Proposition 1, which would change how Idahoans vote in the primary and general elections.
Lifelong voter Candy Knost said she cast her ballot early to beat the lines and ensure her vote counts if she ends up getting sick or has to go out of town. She is not surprised by the record-breaking numbers.
"We have more people all the time, and so that accounts for some of it," she said. "And the other part is maybe people are trying to become more informed about what's going on in their world today."
Another lifelong voter, Julie Potter, agreed. She said voting is a way to "express herself."
"When I usually vote, there's maybe three or four people in the voting poll. And today I saw about 20/30 people," she said. "I think people are turning out more because they want to be more vocal."
People can vote early until 5 p.m. on Nov. 1. Tripple said their busiest times are between 11 a.m.-1 p.m., which people should keep in mind if they are in a rush.
"We're excited to administer the election," he said. "We're excited for the results. We hope that everyone else is as well, and that through that they can, they can find a satisfaction in participating in a truly democratic process."
Ada County, along with other counties like Blaine and Twin Falls, are ahead of the game. Most counties started early voting Monday.
Blaine County Clerk Stephen McDougall Graham could not say whether the county has broken any turnout records.
However, he said election workers are extremely busy. Between 300-400 people are voting early in-person every day.
McDougall Graham said the high numbers are likely because of contested ballot measures and races both nationally and locally. He is thankful voters are keeping the peace.
"I'd say it's probably one of the more civil sort of early voting periods that I've experienced so far, which has just been really nice," he said. "We've got a great community here that's really engaged, and they're turning out in big numbers."
KTVB also reached out to the Twin Falls County clerk. She did not have hard data about whether more people have voted in the election compared to this time last year, but she said it seems like more people are turning out than in past presidential elections.
The last day to request an absentee ballot is Oct. 25. Pre-registration is closed. However, Idahoans can still register to vote in-person at their polling location during early voting or on Election Day.