Some areas saw a record midterm voter turnout during Tuesday's election with lines forming at 6 a.m. when opening doors at polling locations.
Election judges were correct in their predictions for a high voter turnout, even without many contested local races.
"All precincts were very busy," Stoddard County Clerk Joe Watson said. "I believe the senate race brought voters out because we really had no local races."
Butler County Clerk Tonyi Deffendall believes this was the highest midterm turnout in her 23 years in the clerk's office, by about five percent.
Butler County saw 56 percent of voters show up at the polls yesterday while only 35 percent of voters cast ballots in the 2014 midterm election.
State representatives seats for the 152nd and 153rd districts were last contested in the 2010 midterms, without an incumbent in office.
Voter turnout was 45 percent at that time, securing seats for Todd Richardson and Steve Cookson, respectively.
While voter turnout was high for surrounding counties during a midterm election, the numbers were not far from presidential election turnouts.
During the 2008 presidential election, 66 percent of Butler County voters entered the polls followed by 68 percent in 2016.
Watson believed the county could see a record number of voters for a midterm election while votes were being cast yesterday.
Yesterday's election saw 55 percent of voters enter the polls in Stoddard County.
During the 2010 midterm election, 50 percent of voters showed up at the polls, there, followed by just 38 percent in the 2014 midterm.
Stoddard County also saw a high number of absentee ballots cast at 780. According to Watson, around 1,000 absentee ballots were cast during the last presidential election.
In a similar scene, Ripley County saw a higher voter turnout for a midterm election with 52 percent of voters voicing their opinions.
In comparison, 49 percent of Ripley County voters cast ballots in the 2010 midterm election, while just 33 percent made their way to the polls in 2014.
"We had a much heavier midterm than in the past," Ripley County Clerk Becky York said.
York added she believed more public awareness and the increased social media involvement helped push voters.
The medical marijuana and motor fuel tax items on the ballot were two issues York believed her county wanted to weigh in on.
Having candidates in the local races also brought voters out, said York, who won reelection against opponent Brittney Barton.
"The local races helped bring family and friends who may not have voted in some time, as well as voters to defend those who have been in office for some time," she said.
Absentee voters also cast a high number of ballots in Ripley County at 445 compared to 162 during the 2014 midterm election.
This past presidential election, York said a little over 500 absentee ballots were cast, putting this midterm close to a presidential turnout for absentees.
Everything went smoothly in Reynolds County, with 59 percent of voters coming to the polls, said Reynolds County Clerk Mike Harper.
"I'm glad of the turnout," Harper said. "I didn't figure we would have that much, but almost 60 percent is good in a small community."
The 2010 midterm election was not far from yesterday's total with 52 percent of voters entering polls, but during 2014, only 36 percent of voters cast ballots.
Harper believes the high number of voters in his county was because they knew how important this election was.
With 218 absentee ballots cast ahead of yesterday's election, Harper believed voters took advantage of being able to concentrate on the large ballot during absentee voting.
Reynolds County voters came to the polls prepared with either a photo ID or another form of ID, Harper said.
"I'm not award of any incidents where a voter had nothing," he said.
Deffendall also said no voter ID issues were reported in Butler County.