Bastrop County crushed its record for highest turnout on the first day of early voting when 2,571 voters cast ballots across the county.

Monday’s turnout almost doubled the first-day voting record set in 2012, when 1,484 voters cast a ballot. The record had been broken by 1 p.m. Monday.

"I’ve never seen anything like this before in Bastrop County," Elections Administrator Bridgette Escobedo said Wednesday. "There is a lot of interest right now, and it’s a very exciting time to be involved in the election process."

Since Monday, Bastrop County voters have kept voting momentum high with 2,360 voters casting ballots on Tuesday and 1,993 on Wednesday.

"It’s great to see the voters engaged and showing up early," Escobedo said. "There have been occasional lines to vote at peak times, but everyone has been in good spirits, and we’ve received many compliments on our set up and especially our friendly poll workers."

Other Central Texas counties have reported high turnout on the first day of voting too.

In Travis County, 35,066 people voted early Monday, surpassing first-day early voting totals in the 2008 and 2012 general elections. The Williamson County Elections Department reported 18,103 early votes Monday, shattering its first-day turnout record.

In Hays County, 4,726 people voted early Monday, up 33 percent from the 3,556 people who cast ballots on the first day of early voting in 2012.

"We are hearing about a lot of busy polling places," Alicia Phillips Pierce, spokeswoman for the Texas secretary of state, told the Austin American-Statesman in an email Monday. "This might be a reflection of a pent-up desire for voters to finally cast their ballots, or it might be indicative of the beginning of a high-turnout election. It’s impossible to say right now."

At the top of the ballot this year is a decision for U.S. president, where voters could elect the country’s first female president or a billionaire businessman.

The race for the White House between Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump has been a contentious one, with both candidates urging their supporters to get out and vote.

Ballots in Bastrop County include school bonds in Smithville and Bastrop, as well as decisions for sheriff, commissioners for Precincts 1and 3 and constables, as well as other federal and state races.

Early voting runs through Nov. 4. Election Day is Nov. 8.

"I would like to encourage everyone to continue to come out and vote early to avoid long wait times on Election Day, Nov. 8," Escobedo said.