HUNTINGTON -- Though the West Virginia Secretary of State's Office expected a record voter turnout Tuesday, unofficial numbers indicate that it was dramatically lower than the record number of voters in the 2004 general election.

Unofficial results from the secretary's office indicate 706,340 West Virginians voted Tuesday-- not counting the absentee ballots. In the 2004 general election, voter turnout reached an all-time high with 769,645 voters.

Nationally, a record 133.3 million people cast ballots, according to one estimate.

Predictions of a record-setting turnout in West Virginia were based on a number of factors, including the record turnout for the early voting period, Deputy Secretary of State Sarah Bailey said. Before the election, the secretary's office indicated that about 154,000 voters took advantage of the early voting period -- a 22 percent increase from 2004.

Cabell was one of many counties that experienced lower Election Day turnout this year. Unofficially, Cabell had 35,664 voters this election compared with 39,314 in 2004 -- a 9.2 percent difference.

In Lawrence County, Ohio, election officials expected to have a record number of ballots cast once the 700 absentee ballots are counted.

Unofficial results in Lawrence County indicate that 27,491 people voted on Tuesday. With an additional 700 absentee ballots to be counted, Catherine Overbeck, director of the Lawrence County Board of Elections, said she expects the number of ballots cast to be greater than in 2004.

Overbeck attributed the high turnout to a number of tax issues and bond levies spread out across the county. Local options for the sale of beer, wine and/or mixed beverages typically bring out a lot of voters, she said.

Total voter turnout in West Virginia this election was 58.2 percent -- about 12 percent lower than expected.

"We were surprised and disappointed," Bailey said. "We were optimistic for a 70 percent turnout but the numbers didn't seem to bear out that way."

Bailey said one explanation for the lower-than-expected turnout could have been the number of uncontested state races. In 2004 every single race was contested, she said, and since most races were uncontested this year, voters had less incentive to cast ballots, she said.

The question Bailey wondered before the election was: Would early voting increase voter turnout on Election Day or did more people use the early voting period in lieu of voting on Election Day? In the future, she said, the secretary's office may be able to determine what effect early voting has on Election Day voting.

Nationally, an estimated 133.3 million people voted for president, based on preliminary results from the country's precincts tallied and projections for absentee ballots, said Michael McDonald of George Mason University. Using his methods, that would give 2008 a 62.5 percent turnout rate, he said.

The total voting in 2008 easily outdistanced 2004's 122.3 million, which had been the highest grand total of voters before.

Both numbers are estimates and may change as officials count more absentee and provisional ballots.

McDonald suggested the turnout percentage to be about equal to or better than 1964, but not higher than 1960 when John F. Kennedy squeaked out a victory over Richard Nixon. The turnout rate then was 63.8 percent.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

AP Video