ST. LOUIS – More people stood in line Saturday to cast their vote before Tuesday’s election.

More than 8,000 people already cast their ballots in St. Louis City, and more than 50,000 people voted in the county. People who waited in line Saturday suggest being prepared before you get in line. 

 “We got here about 3:30 and took us about 40 minutes,” said William Pohlman.

“I looked at sample ballots online and did some research. Yeah same here,” said Pohlman.

This is the first election cycle with the new no-excuse absentee voting law, which allows people to vote in person 10 days ahead of Election Day. Officials said voting in the county started out slow. 

“Because of the few races and issues on the ballot, people aren’t going to be as energized as they were in 2018,” Rick Stream shared. “I think the overall turnout will be lower than 60%, but I can’t say how it’s going to play out as far as which districts are going to have more.”

Stream is the Republican Director for the Saint Louis County Election Board. He gave a few tips before you head out to vote. Make sure you bring a photo ID with you, and if your voter registration card has expired, you’ll need to wait until Tuesday. 

“If it’s expired after the presidential election, which is November 2020, it still will count,” Stream explained. “If it’s expired prior to that, then we’ll vote you provisionally.”