KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Monday was the last day to register to vote across Tennessee, and some counties are seeing an influx of new voters.
In Anderson County, it's estimated that around 300 people registered to vote on Oct. 7 alone, and there's still more counting to do. Mark Stephens, the Anderson County Administrator of Elections, estimated there were around 54,000 registered voters in the county. It said it was the most election leaders have seen.
"It seems like there's a lot of interest in this particular election cycle," he said.
Some of those newly registered voters are people who have never voted before but are now finding interest in this election cycle.
"The numbers are really strong. Presidential elections usually bring that out anyway, but this year, I think, more so than ever," said Stephens. "Whether we set a record as far as turnout statewide for this remains to be seen, but it would not surprise me a bit if we set a record in that regard."
Anyone who missed the deadline to register to vote should still try to register so they can be ready for the next election, officials said.
"You know we have elections going on a regular basis. We have elections for local offices and state offices, those are very important. Those affect your life and if you weren't able to register this time please get registered so that in the future you can participate in the process," said Chris Davis, Administrator of Elections for Knox County.
Election officials also urged registered voters to take advantage of early voting to avoid long lines on Election Day.