COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Lines could be shorter than usual at polling places across South Carolina on Tuesday after record numbers of voters cast ballots in advance of Election Day.

As of Monday, the State Election Commission reported 1.3 million people had already voted in advance of Election Day, either by mail or in person — nearly 37% of the state’s registered voters. Those numbers more than double the previous record for absentee voting, set when 503,000 people voted absentee in the 2016 general election.

More than 2.1 million people in South Carolina voted in the last presidential contest. About 3.5 million people are registered to vote in the state.

All polling places will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Many safeguards established in the June primaries due to the coronavirus pandemic will still be in place. Poll managers will don face masks, face shields and gloves, though workers cannot compel voters to wear masks. Most polling places have reopened following pandemic-related closures in June, but the election commission recommends voters check voting locations online.

Both the state Democratic and Republican parties will have trained poll watchers at voting locations and attorneys on hand. Per state law, a poll watcher must be a qualified voter in the county and be appointed by a candidate or political party.

Several nonpartisan voting rights groups have organized hotlines for voters encountering issues at the polls and called on top state leaders and elections officials to ensure poll managers and workers are prepared to respond to potential voter intimidation.

“We expect to have a peaceful and smooth Election Day,” South Carolina Election Commission spokesman Chris Whitmire said, “We don’t expect any disturbances, or certainly any violence, at the polls.”

County elections officials will also start processing hundreds of thousands of mailed ballots Tuesday morning. The state legislature modified voting rules this year to allow officials to begin removing the outer envelopes from ballots on Nov. 1. Workers can only begin to open the inside envelopes and scan the ballots starting the day of the election.

Whitmire said he anticipates most counties will finish tabulating mailed ballots Tuesday night or Wednesday.

For weeks, South Carolinians have waited in long lines across the state to cast their ballots since absentee voting opened in early October. That turnout follows rule changes by the General Assembly allowing all voters to vote absentee this election because of the pandemic. Voters must usually cite one of several allowed reasons, such as being physically disabled or out of town on Election Day, to vote in advance.

Along with the presidential race, voters this Tuesday will consider candidates for one of the state's Senate seats, all seven of the state's House districts, as well as seats in the South Carolina General Assembly and a number of local races.

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Find AP’s full election coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/election-2020.