OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – Long lines surrounded the Douglas County Election commission office on Saturday, with many eager voters ready to cast their ballot.
“I was very excited when I got to this place and I wasn’t the only one that showed up,” Douglas County resident Sara Grinbergs said. “It was a little chilly, but standing in line is definitely worth it.”
“It’s a great way for your voice to be heard and make a difference and show that yo actually made an impact in the community,” voter Kara Ruffcorn said.
With the election less than two weeks away, many want to beat the block.
The line started forming before the doors opened at 9 a.m.
“I would say people started lining up around 8 a.m., 8:15 a.m. for when the door opened this morning,” Brian Kruse, Douglas County Election Commissioner said.
Kruse told 6 News they’ve given out a total of 125,000 early ballots.
So far, 80,000 have been returned.
“The early voting by mail… we were down a little bit from where I thought we would be,” Kruse said. “But, having said that we had a huge push.”
Kruse didn’t think so many people would line up to vote before election day. He and his staff have been putting in long days.
“I expect it to be about equal fifty percent early voting and about fifty percent at the polling place,” Kruse said. “If you see an election worker out there in the next few weeks just stop and thank them.”
Those like Natalie Torrez believes that the long lines of people shouldn’t discourage anyone from voting.
“This will affect me and it will also affect my kids, my siblings, every person and child 10 to 20 years from now,” Torrez said. “It’s important to do your civic duty.”
The Douglas County Election commission office will be open again on Nov. 2nd to accommodate people needing to vote early.
On those days, you can stop from 9 a.m. in the morning to 1 p.m.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, the office will be open an extra hour until 6 p.m.
If you’re mailing your ballot, USPS said you need to get it sent out by October 29th, and you can also use a ballot drop box.
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