NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – A record number of voters showed up to cast their ballots early this year, shattering past numbers ahead of the March 1 primary.

Secretary of State Tre Hargett along with Coordinator of Elections Mark Goins held a news conference about the milestone Wednesday afternoon.

“The new record is 385, 653 Tennesseans. That shattered the record that was set in 2008 of 329,154 voters,” Hargett said.

In Davidson County alone, 44,395 people voted early with 11,419 on the last day. The previous record was set during the 2008 Presidential Primary with 32,897 people voting early.

Republicans also outpaced Democrats during early voting. Click here for a breakdown county by county.

All this means the state election officials are expecting a higher-than-normal turnout on March 1.