ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. — A record number of people cast their ballots in St. Charles County, breaking the previous record in 2020, according to officials.

A total of 228,700 people voted in St. Charles County during the absentee voting period through election day. 

The previous record in November 2020 was 223,533 voters, according to a press release.

There was a 76% voter turnout in St. Charles County, which is slightly lower than in 2020 because of an increase in voter registrations. 

St. Louis County had similar voter turnout with an unofficial 76.76%. The percentage was close to the predicted turnout, according to the St. Louis County Board of Elections.

The rain on Tuesday caused soggy ballots, but they dried out and were counted, according to Kurt Bahr, director of the St. Charles County Election Authority.  

Soggy ballots were more of an issue Monday in St. Louis County. Voters were told to keep them away from their bodies. If the ballots became too wet, election workers would spoil them and provide a new ballot to voters. 

Several voters left behind umbrellas, eyeglasses, driver licenses and passports in St. Charles County, according to the press release. Items can be retrieved at the Election Authority, 397 Turner Boulevard in St. Peters.  

There are currently 301,218 registered voters in St. Charles County, and of those, 76,338 voted before election day, and 152,362 voted on election day.

In St. Louis County, 505,902 registered voters cast their ballots out of a total of 659,045, which is a decrease compared to the 2020 election. 

In 2020, there were 681,869 registered voters, and of those, 540,597 cast their ballots, according to the St. Louis County Board of Elections. 

A total 234,027 voted early in this election. 

In the city of St. Louis, a 47.8% voter turnout was reported about an hour and 15 minutes before polls closed Tuesday night.

The city has 224,028 registered voters, and of those, 55,507 voted early, according to the St. Louis City Board of Election Commissioners.