ST. LOUIS – Election day is approaching fast, and all around the area, a massive number of people are turning out for no excuse in-person absentee voting.

From now through November 4, registered voters all across Missouri can cast their ballots without having to give any kind of reason, different from how it was done during traditional absentee voting.

Early voting in Missouri started on Oct. 22, and so far in St. Louis County, nearly 99,000 people have cast their ballots early. More than 20,000 people took advantage of no excuse absentee voting in St. Louis County Monday alone.

In St. Charles County, nearly 26,000 people have cast in-person ballots since Oct. 22. More than 3,500 people voted at the St. Charles County Election Authority office Monday, an all-time high.

In St. Louis City, election officials say more than 22,800 people have already taken advantage of no excuse in person absentee voting.

Rick Stream, the Republican Director for the St. Louis County Board of Elections, spoke about how they’ve been able to manage early voting numbers. “It’s just basically overwhelming. We’re averaging about 18,000 voters a day,” Stream says. “If that trend holds through November 4, we’re going to have more people voting early in this election than in the 2020 election, which I never would have believed.”

Voter turnout in St. Louis County for this election could approach the 2020 total, which was a record at 79.3%. There are 14 locations in St. Louis County to vote early. Voters can also access real-time line counts to see how long wait times are.