HANCOCK – Statewide, more than 2.4 million voters cast ballots in the primary, shattering previous records according to the Associated Press, and most local election workers said their polling places had been hopping as well.

“It’s been busier than we thought, more so than usual,” said poll worker Sherri DuLong, who was checking names and handing out ballots at Hancock City Hall.

The Stites family – Robert, Diane and daughter Angela – came to City Hall together to vote, though they didn’t expect to all vote for the same candidate and would likely partially cancel out each others’ votes, according to Angela.

“We vote on pretty much anything,” said Robert. “I don’t know if it does any good.”

Franklin Township Clerk Mary Brunet, who had been working her First Precinct polling location on Quincy Hill, stopped by the Second Precinct in Ripley to check in and cast her own ballot. While the Second Precinct seemed about normal, “the other precinct has been very busy,” she said.

Second Precinct election worker Carla Johnson said the Ripley polls didn’t seem much busier. It seemed like many voters who had not voted in previous primaries when they were surprised to be asked whether they wanted a Democratic or Republican ballot.

“They ask, ‘What do you mean?'” she said.

Others are more astute but less orthodox, said fellow volunteer Cyndy Taylor, asking for a ballot for their less-favored party to essentially vote to eliminate a candidate that concerns them.

“They’re pretty open about it,” Taylor said. “We get quite a few who tell us they want this or that ticket because they want someone not to win.”

Miranda Lambert, a Ripley voter, said she almost always votes in primaries, though she preferred not to share her choice publicly.

“I feel like I make a difference,” she said.