Santa Clara County reports record voter registration numbers ahead of 2018 midterm election

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- People are taking advantage of early voting opportunities in the Bay Area, with Santa Clara County reporting record registration numbers.

"We saw people were lined up at the doors at 9 a.m.. They wanted to come in and vote," said Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters spokesperson Eric Kurhi.

At the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters in San Jose and seven satellite offices from Gliroy to Palo Alto, hundreds of elections officers kept busy this weekend. The county hosted extended hours and there are some 50 drop box locations.

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"I love that you do have the opportunity to do that because everyone's schedule is different. So I don't have to rush over here after work or before work. I'm trying to avoid that," said San Jose resident Kaylin Horn.

Horn, her mother and sister showed up to vote in person Sunday afternoon.

"I believe this is a very important election so I'm anxious to see how it all plays out on Tuesday," said Horn.

You can still sign up for conditional registration, have a ballot printed, and vote before Tuesday's deadline.

"I really wanted to make sure that my vote was counted because it's really important for me, my wife, and my child," said San Jose resident Byron Perez.

"This is the first election of the Trump era," noted San Jose State Political Science Professor Melinda Jackson.

Traditionally midterms have lower turnouts, but the current political climate has inspired many.

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"Based on the data we're seeing so far we do see a bump in voter registration among younger voters. We do think that we're going to see higher turnout among younger voters," said Jackson.

Santa Clara County has seen an uptick in first time voters and new citizens registering.

"We do have record registration numbers," Kurhi said. "The latest figure we saw are at over 886,000. That's the most registrations we've ever seen in Santa Clara County."

San Francisco County is predicting a 60 percent voter turnout. Santa Clara County could be anywhere from 60 to 70 percent. Back in 2014 the numbers were as low as 50 percent.

Take a look at full coverage on the 2018 election here.