LEWISTON – Bruce Hazard, 31, was a registered voter in Florida during the last election.

Intent on voting here Tuesday, he went to City Hall on Wednesday to register. As he registered, he was informed he could vote right then.

“I said I might as well get it done,” Hazard said.

Ditto for Tammy Ashland and her son, Ian Ashland. Both also voted Wednesday at City Hall. “It’s very difficult for me to get to the voting place on Election Day; I have to work,” she said. “And I’m stuck working a double on Election Day,” he said.

This year, thousands of Maine voters have cast their ballots early to ensure their votes are counted, no matter the circumstances of Election Day.

Four years ago, a total of 1,707 people voted by absentee ballot in Lewiston. Already this year, 3,000 people have voted absentee.

State election officials have said they expect an increased voter turnout overall because of the intensely fought presidential race, Maine’s referendum questions on property taxes and bear hunting, and a full slate of state candidates.

But an unprecedented number of citizens is voting with absentee ballots, due to high interest in the election, because they’re learning they can, and to avoid long lines on Tuesday.

More every day

“We are swamped,” said Kathy Montejo, Lewiston’s city clerk, adding she’s had more people voting absentee than ever before. The number of early voters is growing every day. “On Tuesday alone, I had 237. It picks up every day.”

Auburn’s experiencing the same thing.

“We’ve probably had about 2,000,” counting voters who have mailed in absentee ballots or people who have come in to vote, said City Clerk Mary Lou Magno. “We have four booths set up. They’ve been busy booths. Usually we have two booths.” The convenience of voting early “is catching on more each election,” she said.

Maine’s election laws allow residents to cast absentee ballots without providing a reason, and municipal clerks have set up voting booths for people who want to cast absentee ballots in person.

Voting absentee is not the same as simply voting early, which is allowed in some states. With early voting, ballots are processed and counted as they are cast. Absentee voters, however, seal ballots in signed envelopes that remain unopened until Election Day. Absentee ballots require more processing by election workers, who have mixed feelings about the early rush.

“I think it helps everybody,” said Biddeford City Clerk Clairma Matherne, who added that she thinks the process speeds up voting on Election Day.

Matherne’s office has so far handled 1,425 absentee ballots.

State election officials say the surge in absentee ballots has kept municipal offices busy, but so far everything has gone smoothly. But it remains to be seen what the effect will be on Election Day.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Absentee ballots could slow the counting process, and Portland City Clerk Linda Cohen has hired 16 people just to process the absentee votes and slide them into counting machines on Nov. 2.

“We should go to early voting if we’re going to do this,” Cohen said.

The existing process is clearly appreciated by voters like Kathleen Sullivan, who moved from Westbrook to Portland and went to that City Hall on Tuesday to make sure she was on the list of registered voters.

After waiting in line, she filled out an absentee ballot just in case something were to keep her from voting next week.

“It feels very good,” Sullivan said. “You wait, but listen, it’s a privilege.”