Election Day Afternoon Update: Workers Expect Surge after 5 p.m.

Poll workers all over the county report a smooth and easy voting process today, but most are predicting a final rush between 5 p.m. and when the polls close, at 7 p.m.

After surges in some polls when they opened this morning, to an increase in traffic during lunch hour, then again at mid-afternoon, most expect the last two hours to be steady.

“We will have two sort of rushes,” said James Webster III, election volunteer coordinator at Franklin Elementary School. “When people get off work, probably from about 5 o’clock on it will be steady.

“The pro-tip I would give people is to come by in the middle of the afternoon, if they can.”

Webster wanted to remind voters that polls closing at 7 p.m. means not that the polls shut down, but that you no longer can get in line. Everyone in line to vote by 7 p.m. will be able to cast a ballot.

Since 7 a.m. to just after noon, some 300 had voted there. More than 50 percent, 1,809 of 3,375, in the precinct voted early.

Michael Lesousky, an artist who is relatively new to Williamson County, cast his vote there around 12:30 p.m.

“I came out to vote for somebody- and against somebody, I guess you could say,” Lesousky said. “I voted for Hillary Clinton because I really do believe in a lot of the positions of the Democratic Party, but also a lot of things she stands for, like women’s rights and also standing up for the minority. It has really been something I have thought about and learned about my whole life. I stand with that, but also I stand against Trump definitively because he is the opposite of all of those things. He does not stand with the minority, and not with women, strongly, especially not in the wholesome, respectful way that I was taught growing up to believe in.”

Polls at Sunset Elementary, Nolensville United Methodist Church, and Triune Baptist each had seen about 300 voters by just after lunch. Nolensville Baptist Church workers said they’d seen about 350 by then.

“We had a little rush this morning, but no one had to stand in line more than about 10 minutes. Everything has been just fine,” Sunset Elementary poll worker John Palmer said.

Folks at other polls agreed, describing the process as “smooth and easy.”

Chad Gary, administrator of elections for Williamson County, said he expects about 25,000 people to vote today. Of the 149,923 registered voters in the county, 83,312 voted early. Before the polls even opened this morning, turnout already had exceeded the total percentage of people who polled (50.2 percent) in 2012, and gotten close to 2008 (59.6 percent).

Though there were signs for Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton planted outside polling boundaries, actual campaigners were scarce at many of the polls.

But Amanda Cothern of Triune was at Triune Baptist Church holding Courtenay Rogers signs.

“I’ve been with her [Rogers] almost since Day 1. I went to a meet and greet she was putting on and signed her petition and I’ve been with her ever since. Everyone today has been very friendly and nice.”

Rep. Glen Casada, Rogers’ opponent for House District 63, came to Oak View Elementary in the afternoon, though voting was light at the time.

District 65 candidates Holly McCall and Sam Whitson, along with several Thompson’s Station municipal candidates, were at Thompson Station Baptist Church, where voting was steady most of the day.

Kelly Gilfillan, Zach Harmuth, Josh Vardaman, and Emily West contributed to this story.