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With 11 days to go before Election Day, voters of Humboldt County are already turning out as if American democracy is on the line. And hey, maybe it is!

As of 1 p.m. Friday, the Humboldt County Elections Office had received 18,018 ballots, according to Registrar of Voters Juan Pablo Cervantes. For comparison, 11 days before the March primary the office had received just over half that many: 9,245 ballots.

“Our total registered voter count is approximately 82,000, meaning about 22% of voters have already cast their ballots,” Cervantes said.

Asked what he attributes this trend to, Cervantes said it’s hard to say for sure, though he suspects it has to do with at least two factors: outreach from his office and the potentially massive stakes of this year’s presidential election.

“We’ve put a lot of thought and energy into encouraging turnout through outreach efforts, earned media, radio ads, social media, tabling, and our approach of meeting people where they are,” Cervantes said in an email. “Even so, this level of engagement is beyond our expectations. It’s clear that folks feel this is a big election — though, of course, we think they all are!”

If you still like voting in person, there will be 13 vote centers operating across the county, including some that have been open since Oct. 7. They’re open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on early voting days and from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 5.

Click here for more information on all of your voting options, and for contact information for the Humboldt County Elections Office.