BILLINGS— Crowds of voters gathered at the polls in Yellowstone County before polls closed at 8 p.m.
Richard King, a first-time election volunteer, told MTN he has been busy at the ballot dropoff line at MetraPark since 7 a.m.
Watch the scene at MetraPark Tuesday afternoon:
“Everybody's very friendly... we have had virtually no downtime at all,” said King. “I think that the issues across the country have everybody's attention. And so, they feel that by casting a vote, their input may or will make a difference.”
Young voters were easy to spot at the Election Center and Metra Pavilion.
“I just turned 18 back in February and voting is a really important thing for this country,” said Micah Rainei, who told MTN he is voting for the first time.
“It's important to get out there and vote for the people that have higher power and do the right thing,” said recent high school graduate Adeline Reinhardt, who said she is voting for the second time.
It is too soon to tell how much of the county has voted. Yellowstone County Election Administrator Dayna Causby told MTN her office has accepted 61% of mail-in ballots by Tuesday afternoon, but that number is subject to change.
“We're still receiving those ballots back,” said Causby.
She expects to see larger crowds of voters at MetraPark in the late afternoon and evening.
“Turnout has been steady across the county,” said Causby. “If you are in line at 8 p.m., you will have the opportunity to cast your ballot. But due to those voters who are in line at 8 p.m., results will be held until the last voter has cast their ballot.”
