REGION – While lines didn’t stretch out the doors of area polling places in the North Quabbin area, voter traffic – according to area poll workers – was steady on Tuesday.

On Monday, Massachusetts Secretary of State Bill Galvin predicted a record turnout for this year’s presidential election. The state’s top elections official said that turnout may exceed the almost 3.7 million voters who went to the polls in 2020.

Town clerks in Athol, Petersham, Phillipston and Royalston also expected a busy Tuesday, even with many people voting ahead of time. Despite this, polling places in the North Quabbin were not mobbed with voters, but the explanation is that statewide, nearly 1.5 million people cast ballots early, either by mail or in-person early voting.

The town clerks in each of those four area towns said approximately a third of their respective community’s registered voters did their civic duty before Election Day. The proportion was slightly higher in Phllipston, where 519 of the town’s 1,450 registered voters cast ballots early, according to Phillipston Town Clerk Karin Foley.

Athol voter Anthony Dow said Tuesday marked the first time he has voted, and added that he had chosen his candidate some time ago. There was no specific issue or candidate that drew him to the polls, he said.

“I just kind of wanted to get my vote out there this year,” Dow said.

Keith Underwood of Athol said he had waited until the last moment to decide on the presidential race.

“I see my country failing,” he said. “We have the power – of the people, by the people, for the people. I don’t have to let anyone know who I voted for. As long as the people vote, we should have a government that serves us – not we serve the government.”

According to Underwood, this is the first time he has voted since George W. Bush was in office.

In Petersham, Christina Gargulinski said she was motivated to vote because “I believe in God, I’m under God; I think it’s important to stand up for your beliefs and the things you feel are important to everyone.”

Asked about the five ballot questions on the state ballot, Gargulinski said, “A lot of them were confusing, and I think that’s a trap. Be careful what you vote for.”

She continued, “I think it’s all rigged. I think the whole system is rigged,” though she decided to vote just the same because “I have this little inkling, that maybe it’s not, so I’ll stand up for who I believe in.”

“I guess the main motivating factor for coming to vote,” said fellow Petersham voter Eric Danielson, “is to make sure that the incoming administration is oriented towards continuing all the protections that are in place for vulnerable people in this country.”

Of the ballot questions, Danielson said he was most supportive of Question 5, which would gradually increase the minimum hourly wage for tipped workers from $6.75 excluding tips to $15 excluding tips over the course of five years. Currently, if a tipped worker’s $6.75 hourly wage plus their tips do not add up to a $15 per hour wage, their employer is required to pay them the difference.

Asked about the tone of the presidential race in recent weeks, Danielson said, “The way the media landscape has kind of had this feedback loop with politics, it has sort of escalated everything, and it’s been polarizing. I guess the kind of celebrity-oriented process is kind of a negative thing overall.”

Greg Vine can be reached at gvineadn@gmail.com.