Congratulations to Freeborn County voters who came out in large numbers on Tuesday to vote in the general election.

According to unofficial results from the Freeborn County Auditor-Treasurer’s Office, 79.64 percent of the county’s registered voters cast their ballots.

The turnout is higher than at least the last three mid-term elections — when there was a 70.74 percent voter turnout in 2014, a 72.47 percent turnout in 2010 and a 78.71 percent turnout in 2006.

Turnout during presidential elections in recent years has been between 89.6 and 93.7 percent.

According to preliminary estimates from the Secretary of State’s Office, the statewide voter turnout was also high — in fact, it was the highest it has been for a midterm election since 2002.

Nearly 2.6 million people voted in-person on Tuesday or by absentee ballot for a turnout of 63.8 percent, preliminary numbers state.

The Associated Press stated midterm election turnout hasn’t been that high since 2002, when turnout was 64.9 percent during President George W. Bush’s first term. It is the largest raw total for a midterm election in Minnesota history.

Whether it was the local, state or national races that brought people to the polls, we are glad so many people took advantage of the opportunity to vote and who took the time to research the candidates ahead of time.

By voting, you showed you care about the future of our community, state and nation, and we hope that commitment only continues to grow.

Thanks for setting an example for the whole nation of civic engagement and getting involved in the election process.