LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- No-excuse, in-person voting started Thursday in the commonwealth, and long lines at several polling places were a visual sign of decision day for many Kentuckians.

Thousands of Kentuckians braved the rain, wind, and long lines to vote early. There are 20 polling locations in Jefferson County, including the Goodwill Opportunity Campus in west Louisville.

"I've never seen this many before, I don't think, in Jefferson County," said Darrell Davis, who voted Thursday. 

Casting a ballot early has become a popular option for voters across the country. The Goodwill location didn't have a long line all day. Early voters, including Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams, were able to get in, vote and go on with their Thursday in less than five minutes.

But that wasn't the case at polling locations in St. Matthews and Bowman Field. The line stretched out the door and into the parking lot. At one point, more than 160 people were waiting to cast their ballot.

Adams expects more voters this year than in 2020. He believes the lines are a good thing.

"If we don’t use the early voting, it will get repealed," he said Thursday. 

As of Thursday morning, Adams said Kentucky has about 40,000 absentee ballots that have not been returned yet. He's encouraging people to get those to a drop box sooner rather than later.

"It’s very hard to destroy anything inside our drop boxes," he said.

On Thursday, early in-person voters said they'll wait in line as long as it takes to make their votes count.

"Bring a raincoat (and) be prepared to wait," said Melissa Leath, who voted Thursday at Bowman Field. "Don't give up if the line is long. It's worth it."

In-person, excused absentee voting in Kentucky began Oct. 23. The polls were open until Oct. 25, and then again from Oct. 28-30. 

Anyone else who wants to vote early can do so — at any location listed below in their home county — from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2.  

In Indiana, early voting has been underway since Oct. 8th, and officials said traffic is really starting to pick up, and thousands of people have already voted. Mail-in ballots must be requested by Oct. 24, and in-person early voting continues through Nov. 4.

Election Day is Nov. 5. To see a full list of voting locations statewide, click here for Kentucky and here for Indiana.

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No-excuse, in-person voting started Thursday in the commonwealth, and long lines at several polling places were a visual sign of decision day for many Kentuckians.