A record number of voters in a gubernatorial election cycle are expected in the Nov. 8 election, Secretary of State John Merrill said Thursday.

The projection by the state’s top election official comes even though none of the statewide races are expected to be particularly close with Republicans continuing to maintain their hold on state political power.

“You don’t have an organized, impactful campaigns for any Democrats that’s running for any office in the state of Alabama outside some local offices,” said Merrill, a term-limited Republican who will not be on the ballot next month.

So why the expectation of a record turnout? Merrill pointed to two reasons: One is that there are simply more voters Alabama than ever and the other is the importance both national Democratic and Republican parties are placing on the midterm elections.

Merrill said he expected between 1.65 million and 1.84 million voters to cast ballots. That would be the most in the state excluding presidential elections. That percentage would be between 45-50%, Merrill said, which would not be a record.

The record for any election in Alabama, Merrill said, is 2.1 million in the presidential election cycle in 2020.

Merrill said the gubernatorial election cycle record for voters is 1.71 million four years ago when Gov. Kay Ivey won her first full term in office by defeating Democrat Walt Maddox, the longtime mayor of Tuscaloosa. That race was more hotly contested than Ivey is facing in her reelection campaign from Democrat Yolanda Flowers and Libertarian Jimmy Blake.

“We’ve got more people registered to vote, significantly more than we did four years ago,” said Merrill, adding that about 1.1 million more people have registered to vote. That number does not account for registered voters who have left the state or died during that period.

While there are no expected close races driving people to the polls in Alabama, Merrill said he believed people want to “participate of the process” while monitoring close, high-profile races in other states. Among those he mentioned were in Georgia (where Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock is locked in a close battle with Republican and former football star Herschel Walker) and in Florida (where Republican Sen. Mario Rubio is being challenged by U.S. Rep. Val Demings and Gov. Ron DeSantis, expected to be a 2024 GOP presidential candidate, is facing off against former Congressman Charlie Crist).

The abortion issue will not be a motivating factor for Alabama voters, Merrill said, adding that he has seen no uptick in registered voters since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade in June.

“I don’t think it will (drive voters to the polls) because that’s a settled issue,” Merrill said.

President Joe Biden has said he will seek to codify legal access to abortion nationwide if Democrats gain enough seats in Congress.