photo by: Kim Callahan/Journal-World

The Douglas County elections office at 711 W. 23rd St. is pictured Monday, Oct. 31, 2022.

Voter turnout for Tuesday’s off-year election surpassed the total turnout of the previous city-school election in 2021, according to unofficial results from the Douglas County Clerk’s Office.

Tuesday’s unofficial vote count checked in at 18,407 ballots cast and a 23.2% voter turnout — compared with roughly 17,000 voters and a 22% turnout in 2021. As the Journal-World reported, the county mailed 10,661 advance voting ballots, or 451 more than in 2021.

Douglas County Clerk Jamie Shew told the Journal-World Tuesday night that voters were slow to show at polling locations during the morning, but the pace picked up in the afternoon — to the tune of “500 to 600 votes” at some locations. Around 9 p.m. Tuesday, Shew predicted the total turnout to be around 25%.

“Which is a really good turnout for a local election,” Shew said of the 25% figure, adding that absentee ballots postmarked by Tuesday and received by Friday will still be counted. Shew also said that precinct reporting and vote tabulation “went really well” Tuesday evening. A canvass of the county’s general election is slated for 9 a.m. Nov. 20.