ST. PETERS, Mo. (First Alert 4) – Vehicles were at times idle for over an hour Wednesday as St. Charles County worked to meet voter demand on the second day of early voting.

Cars lined up on the way back to the highway as residents tried to vote early at the St. Charles County Election Commission in St. Peters.

“Traffic is long out on the street,” Carl Robinson said.

St. Charles County residents hoping to vote early found themselves in line all the way to Highway 79 due to backlogs at the election commission.

“The first instinct was to turn back,” said Animesh Shah.

Shah and his wife Nita brought their daughter to vote in their first presidential election. They eventually found a way back and hope the delay didn't affect their daughter Anushka's experience.

“I wanted my daughter, who was a first-time voter, to be a little more relaxed and motivated to want to come vote every year,” Nita Shah said.

Locally the queue was out the door but moved fairly quickly. Earlier in the day, the delays were due to curbside voting.

“This is an accessible way to vote for people who cannot come to the Board of Elections to vote,” said Kurt Bahr, St. Charles County elections director.

Bahr said this vote, while accessible, was not necessarily a quick process, saying too many people who were able to go in remained in their vehicles.

“If you're physically fit, it's actually quicker to go in and vote,” Bahr said.

Bahr said later in the day they added more roadside spaces and got police to direct traffic, which helped, but there was still demand as people hoped to cast their vote earlier before Election Day.

“To beat the crowds on election day. I mean, that’s nothing compared to what’s going to be on Election Day,” Robinson said.

“It just seems like the smart thing to do is turn it off,” Scott Sikes said.

The only other place in the county where voting is possible is Wentzville. Bahr said they only have two early voting spots due to staffing shortages.

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