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This is Chad Lawhorn, Journal-World editor and opinion writer. I’ll be providing updates and analysis throughout Election Day and into the evening as the results arrive. Check in often for updates.

— 2 p.m: There are some eye-popping numbers being posted by voters in Douglas County today. Douglas County Clerk Jamie Shew’s office sent out an update showing the number of voters who had cast a ballot by 10:30 a.m. this morning. The total: 33,979.

That number becomes eye-popping when you compare it to 2022 totals. Given that I never throw away an email, I happened to find a similar update sent by Shew’s office during the 2022 general election, which was the last time we elected a governor in the state. During that midterm election 33,668 people had voted by 3:30 p.m. that day.

In other words, there are already more people who have voted by 10:30 than there were who had voted by 3:30 in 2022.

Does that mean Douglas County is poised for a huge turnout? That’s a possibility but not a certainty. What is certain is that a lot more people are voting ahead of actual Election Day. The updates from Shew’s office show total votes cast, meaning both advance ballots and ballots cast on Election Day.

Those numbers show a big change. In 2022, there were 18,246 people that cast an advance ballot, either by mail or via in-person advance voting. This year, there were 25,470. That’s a nearly 40% increase.

The other side of that coin is that fewer people might show up to vote on Election Day in Douglas County. Whether that will be the case is unclear. I unfortunately don’t have a 10:30 a.m. update from the 2022 election to compare to today’s 10:30 update. I just have the 3:30 p.m. update from 2022. It showed that at 3:30 p.m. during that 2022 mid-term election there were 15,422 people who had voted in person on Election Day. Today, the 10:30 a.m. update showed there had been 8,509.

Comparing those two numbers is tough due to the time difference, and my reticence to do advanced math today. Instead, I’ll pass along another number: a voter turnout percentage. At 3:30 p.m. on Election Day 2022, voter turnout was at 40.9%. At 10:30 a.m. on Election Day today, voter turnout already was at 41.6%.

So maybe we are set for a high turnout day in Douglas County. I can assure you that many a Democratic candidate across the state will be watching whether that’s the case. Douglas County is one of the few Democratic strongholds in the state. It is common for at least six out of every 10 votes to go to a Democrat in Douglas County. With a U.S. Senate race that is expected to be close, a much larger than normal turnout in Douglas County could play an important role in the outcome.