MICHELLE WILLARD, Post Staff Writer
Posted: Wednesday, November 5, 2008 1:36 pm

The sheer number of early votes cast should make Election Day easier, an elections official said.

“We do expect some lines, but with 48 percent voting early it should cut down on the lines a bit,” Elections administrator Hooper Penuel said

68,093 Rutherford countians cast ballots early this year. That’s almost half of the nearly 144,000 registered in the county and almost twice the more than 37,000 who voted early in 2004, Penuel said.

Almost every day of early voting broke attendance records.

“It seems like daily we’re setting records for daily early voting turnout,” Penuel said.

The final record was set Thursday with 7,133 votes cast. During the final week of early voting more than 25,000 registered voters cast ballots.

With the large number of early votes, Penuel expects Election Day to run smoothly, especially with most of the kinks worked out during the first days of early voting.

Voters can help the process by bringing their voter registration card or other signature-bearing identification and going to the polls as early as possible Tuesday.

Michelle Willard can be contacted at 615-869-0816 or mwillard@murfreesboropost.com.