DES MOINES, Iowa– It was a strong start to early voting in Polk County ahead of the November 4 election.

“We received over 10,000 absentee ballots,” said Polk County Auditor and Commissioner of Elections Jamie Fitzgerald.

Fitzgerald also reported that there were lines of people waiting to cast their ballots throughout the day at the new county election office off Euclid Avenue in Des Moines.

On Monday, Fitzgerald said the numbers had already outpaced a previous election with a comparable ballot.

“This year has far surpassed 2021, and it’s on target with the 2023 turnout, where in Polk County we saw over 80,000 voters participate,” he told WHO 13’s Katie Kaplan.

However, voters will have to wait to learn what way those votes will swing.

“It’s a secret ballot. So, we don’t know how voters are participating. It could be a group of ‘yes.’ It could be a group of ‘no’ coming in (sic) as an organization,” Fitzgerald said. “We really can’t tell until election day.”

While there are a lot of reasons that drive people to the polls, like multi-million dollar bond referendums, school board and city council seats, early voters we spoke with had one thing on their minds.

“Education,” said an older gentleman who only wanted to be identified by his first name of Caesar. “Because that is the future for everybody.”

“I’m very concerned overall,” said Liliana McGohan, who lives in Polk County and is an educator in a different county. “I still think it’s important to vote for school boards and how they can affect all the teachers in the area.”

The public will have to wait until 8 p.m. on Tuesday for a first look at the preliminary results. The official results will be certified after the Canvass next Tuesday. WHO 13 will have live team coverage at 10 p.m. for Election Night.

Polls will be open on Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voters can register or update their registration on Election Day. To find your polling place, click here and enter your zip code.