A higher turnout than expected met poll workers in voting sites over Dallas County Tuesday.

Dallas County Probate Judge Kim Ballard visited all but three or four polling places over the county and said, “Turnout’s looking better than I expected.”

Voting results in Dallas County showed Tuesday evening 15,764 votes cast in the election. In the 2008 race for president, Dallas County’s registered voters cast 20,852 ballots. In the last governor’s race, Dallas countians cast 14,148 ballots.

Ballard cast his ballot around noon at Valley Grande, and he voted No. 630. The total mid-afternoon at the Tipton box was 1,060.

“That’s a little high,” Ballard said. “ Tipton and Valley Grande are about the largest boxes in the county.”

Elbony Bruno, a Dallas County voter, cast her ballot at the Dallas County Courthouse during her lunch hour, around 1 p.m.

“They were stretch out the door here,” she said pointing to a side door of the courthouse, where voters came and went.

Despite the number, there were relatively few issues at polling places Tuesday.

“It has been a smooth-running election,” Ballard said. “No problems at all; extremely quiet, but busy.”

Dallas County voter turnout followed that of the state.

Secretary of State Beth Chapman said Tuesday afternoon turnout was much higher than normal for the General election.

“It encourages me and makes me proud that the voters in the state of Alabama are turning out for this important election and participating in one of our most sacred rights and freedoms as Americans” she said.