Secretary of State Bill Galvin said Monday he expects voter turnout in Massachusetts to surpass the state’s 2020 turnout in the 2024 election. record-breaking attendance numbers.

Galvin said about 1.7 million Massachusetts voters have already cast their ballots through early and mail voting, and he expects that number to increase as the state receives and processes more mail ballots. Nearly 3.7 million people voted in the state in the 2020 presidential election, in which President Biden defeated former president Donald Trump’s bid to remain in the White House.

“We’re preparing for this election; we’ve seen a remarkable turnout in terms of public participation, and we think people appreciate the options available to them,” Galvin said at a news conference at the State Capitol.

“However, in my opinion, we will see tomorrow that more people have joined than have joined so far,” he added. “I believe that we will exceed our record participation in 2020 to this extent,” he said.

He attributed the increasing interest of voters primarily to the presidential election. Although Massachusetts is a reliably blue state, Vice President Kamala Harris and other Democrats are heavily favored to winInterest in the presidential race reached a record level Nationwide voter turnout. For example, in North Carolina, a key battleground state, more than half of the state’s registered voters Early voting until Sunday morningOfficials said the following.

Also in the election Hotly debated ballot questions on topics ranging from MCAS test requirement for high school students raise the minimum wage for tipped service workers. There are groups We collectively spent millions About ad campaigns and other advocacy efforts that draw attention to the five questions on the Massachusetts ballot.

Galvin, the longest-serving active elections administrator in the United States, also responded preemptively to election integrity concerns that have grown since former president Donald Trump claimed the 2020 election was stolen from him. He praised election officials in other states for how they handled a “very sensitive, intense” election.

“I may not agree with the policies and procedures of other states, I may certainly not agree with their selection of candidates, but I can tell you that the people who run elections in the United States are honest people,” he said. “They are honest people and the numbers they present are honest numbers.

His comments came as election officials across the country did. Hostility was seen to increase in the middle widespread and unfounded beliefs That the 2020 presidential election was rife with voter fraud. Conservative groups are already prepared object to election results in key states.

Galvin said his office hasn’t seen “any specific problems” so far this year, including physical threats, but noted that police officers are stationed at polling places as a deterrent to any potential threats of political violence.

While early voting and voter registration are now closed, polls will be open Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voters who line up until 20:00 will be able to vote.

Galvin said voters who choose to vote by mail and still haven’t returned their ballots should drop them off at a drop box or at their city election office, rather than regular mail. to make sure there are no problems getting their votes. Mail-in ballots cannot be accepted at polling places.

Anjali Huynh can be reached at [email protected].