Growth

>> ELECTION OFFICIALS IN BOTH BENTON AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES SAY THEYVE SEEN MORE PEOPLE EARLY VOTE THIS YEAR. >> WE HAVE DEFINITELY HAD A HIGHER TURNOUT THIS YEAR, BUT THATS TO BE EXPECTED WITH THE GROWTH IN BENTON COUNTY. WEVE GOT A LOT MORE VOTERS THAN WEVE SEEN IN 2020. AND SO WERE REALLY PLEASED WITH THE TURNOUT. >> WEEK ONE OF EARLY VOTING HAS SO FAR BEEN A SUCCESS. THATS ACCORDING TO THE ELECTION OFFICIALS IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS. THE WASHINGTON COUNTY ELECTIONS DIRECTOR SAYS THEYRE HOPING TO GET THE MAJORITY OF VOTERS AHEAD OF NOVEMBER FIFTH. >> 2016 WAS THE FIRST YEAR WE REALLY PUSHED OUT A LOT OF EARLY VOTE SITES, AND SO EVER SINCE THEN, WEVE SEEN A GRADUAL INCREASE OF THE NUMBER OF VOTES CAST EARLY AND SO WERE DEFINITELY HOPING TO HIT OVER 60% OF THOSE VOTE EARLY. >> VOTERS WE TALKED TO SAY THEYRE GLAD THEY BEAT THE CROWD AND VOTED EARLY. ITS A BEAUTIFUL DAY AND FIGURED IT WOULD BE TOO CROWDED AND WE HAD EXTRA TIME ON OUR HANDS. >> SO WE THOUGHT, THIS IS A GOOD TIME TO DO IT. >> IF SOMETHING COMES UP. IF I GET SICK ON ELECTION DAY, I DONT WANT TO WORRY ABOUT IT. I WANT TO GET IT DONE WITH WITH WEEK ONE IN THE BOOKS, ELECTION OFFICIALS ARE NOW LOOKING AHEAD TO NEXT WEEK. >> NEXT WEEK, YOU KNOW, WELL KIND OF BE A MIXED BAG FOR US BECAUSE I DO THINK THAT WELL BE BUSIER, BUT I THINK THERE WILL BE SOME LOCATIONS, ESPECIALLY IN FAYETTEVILLE IN PARTICULAR, THAT MIGHT NOT BE AS BUSY BECAUSE OF THE RAZORBACK GAME ON SATURDAY. AND THEN OF COURSE, HALLOWEEN DEFINITELY IMPACTS THAT TURNOUT. I HOPE THAT THE POLLS ARE JUST AS BUSY, IF NOT BUSIER. NEXT WEEK. WEVE GOT PLENTY OF POLL WORKERS STAFFING ALL OF OUR POLLING SITES, AND THEY ARE READY TO SERVE THE VOTERS OF BENTON COUNTY. >> AND WHILE THERES STILL ANOTHER ROUND OF EARLY VOTING HAPPENING NEXT WEEK, BOTH COUNTIES SAY THEYRE BUSY BEHIND THE SCENES PREPARING FOR ELECTI