(ST. JOSEPH, Mo.) Absentee voting has brought in record numbers around the country, and Buchanan County residents are in on the action.  

Polling volunteers say they've never seen anything like the number of people coming in to vote absentee, as more than 300 voters  turn out at the courthouse to vote the day before the election.. 

"We've been averaging, when we first started the week after Columbus Day, it was like 150 (people)," said Jeffery Ginn Sr., a poll volunteer.  "We're up to almost 250 a day now. This has been the biggest day so far and we still have over two hours left, and we're already over 250."

The early turnout has Buchanan County Clerk Mary Baack-Garvey, predicting an overall voter turnout of more than 80%.  

Due to the pandemic, early voting rules were changed, allowing multiple mail-in and early voting options, but some absentee voters said the pandemic wasn't the only reason why voters crowded the polls even before election day.  

A few voters at the Buchanan County Courthouse mentioned that they didn't want to wait in the long lines, or that they are volunteering to work the polls on Election Day.  

Transitioning over to Election Day, the  polls will open at 6 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. on November 3rd.