WOOD COUNTY, Ohio — It's election eve across America and voters in Wood County wanted to avoid the rush before Election Day tomorrow.
Voters came by the county's board of elections located in the Wood County Courthouse Building to vote early or drop off absentee ballots.
Many more early voters turned out than in years past across the state, according to the Ohio Secretary of State's newly-released statistics on early voting.
Just last week over 817,644 Ohioans already cast their ballot. That's up from over 736,464 four years ago.
WTOL 11 spoke with around a dozen voters, hearing why they came out to the polls Monday. Most say it was to avoid Tuesday's expected rush.
Amariah Mcintosh said she isn't just voting but stepping up as a poll worker too, in what she says is more years than she can count.
"I feel I ought to do as a good citizen to assist others in participating in our political process," Mcintosh said.
Those others include people like Lauren Carpenter, who wants to step up to support women's rights when casting votes.
"Women's autonomy all together," Carpenter said. "The right to make our own decisions for our own body."
Fathers like Christopher Dauer say party affiliation is important, but so too is making the best choice for his family who came along to the polls with him.
"I went out of party lines for a couple, but I feel good about who I voted for," Dauer said.
However, Ashvin Shah chooses to stay in his own lane.
"If I didn't know them, then I voted Republican," Shah said.
Early voting ended Monday afternoon, but absentee ballots can still be mailed in Ohio if postmarked by Monday or you can drop them off in person at your county board of elections office before polls close at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.