OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Long lines at Douglas County Election Commission are not stopping voters from coming to vote early. In fact many were happy to see so many of their neighbors voting.
- Wait times on Thursday reached over an hour at points.
- About 123,000 early voting ballots have been handed out. Over 10,000 are in-person voters. The rest are mail-in ballots.
- Watch the video to hear from your neighbors who came out to vote early Thursday.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Molly: "What was it like to see the line this long?
“Encouraging, I’m glad to see that everyone is getting out to vote,” Marla Fletcher, an Elkhorn voter.
"Just fantastic that everybody is out voting," Nancy Kratky, an Omaha voter.
"I am excited to take our picture with the I voted today sticker, and I am just proud of them that they came out with me," Caitlyn Dunham an Omaha voter.
Voters of all ages coming out to vote early this election.
"I came out first with my son, 30 minutes earlier, he didn't want to wait, so I took him all the way home and then I said no I am voting today so I came all the way back," said Hallie Harper, an Omaha voter.
Douglas County Election Commissioner Brian Kruse says it's taking about an hour or more to get through the line.
"We've already had two or three days possibly today that we have handed out over 1,000 ballots and in 2020 we had only one maybe two days like that," Kruse said.
In previous elections lines like this don't form until we are about two weeks out. But this year reporter Molly Hudson was told there has been a line out the door since day one.
About 123,000 early voting ballots have been handed out.
Over 10,000 are in-person voters. The rest are mail-in ballots.
"But of all ballots handed out we've got almost 80,000 back in already," Kruse said.
For some in line, it was the first time they were voting early.
"We wanted to make sure our vote counts, my family and I and that it's legit, we didn't want any mail-in confusion," Fletcher said.
And for others, their very first time even voting.
Molly: "What are you most excited for to get in there and cast your first vote?"
"Just to have it matter if anything,” said Nolan Beller, a first-time voter.
“I think that it’s just that it counts,” said Noah Hogandoria, a first-time voter.
Bringing neighbors together to do our civic duty.
Kruse says with the deadline to register to vote being tomorrow at 6 p.m., he expects the line to be even longer closer to a 2-hour wait or more.
The office will be open until 6 p.m. on Friday, anyone in line by 6 p.m. will be able to register and vote.
