ST. LOUIS—Voters in the St. Louis region took full advantage of the first day to cast general election ballots early without an excuse Tuesday, with lines out the door at election authority offices as well as satellite locations.

The St. Louis County Board of Elections reported 15,273 voters cast a ballot on the first day. A mapping program that tracks the number of people in line at available polling locations showed more than 100 at a time, well into the afternoon. The St. Louis City Board of Elections reported 4,006 voters on the first day.

Voters told Spectrum News their reasons for getting out early ran the gamut. Some said they did it because of the nice weather, while others worried they could end up sick on Election day and didn’t want to take a risk. 

Some were just ready to get the election behind them.

“I just want to do it early and get it in and get it done. I've listened to all the talk, I think it's right to get it out and get it done now,” said Tim McGough, a retiree in St. Charles County.

Dawn Kearns knew she would be babysitting for her granddaughters on Nov. 5 and wanted to avoid having to bring them with her.

“I just want to get it done and know that it’s done,” she said.

McGough and Kearns said they’d done their homework and were ready to get in front of the ballot knowing their choices ahead of time–election officials have urged voters to take a similar approach before voting due to a lengthy ballot with numerous statewide ballot measures and questions over judicial retention that could slow down the process.

Election officials are trying to avoid a scenario that could lead to longer lines on Nov. 5.