If absentee ballots are any sign, Tuesday’s special state election could draw a decent turnout, but not necessarily at the polls.

As of Monday evening, Town Clerk Mary Ann Smith reported she had received more than 100 absentee ballots — about twice the number turned in for the Dec. 8 primary. A total of 2,174 Pembroke voters — about 19 percent of those registered — showed up to the polls on Dec. 8.

On Tuesday, Pembroke voters will choose between Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley, a Democrat, and state Sen. Scott Brown, a Republican, to fill the late Ted Kennedy’s U.S. Senate seat.

Smith said she thought many of the absentee ballots might have been cast by students home from college for the winter break who won’t be in town for the election, or by residents heading to a warmer climate for the remaining winter months.

Though she can’t ask why a resident needs to vote absentee, Smith said she suspected some were worried about unexpected snowfall making travel difficult on Election Day. (As of Wednesday, snow was not in the local forecast.)

The deadline to register to vote absentee is Friday, Jan. 15. The town clerk’s office will be open its regular hours, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and from 4:30-5 p.m. for absentee voting only.

As for on-site voting, Smith said she would likely be coming in this weekend to finish preparations. Town Hall offices will be closed Monday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

“We’re finalizing everything,” Smith said. “I’m ready — as long as we don’t get snow.”

The polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. in all five precincts:

• Precinct 1 — Town Hall, 100 Center St.
• Precinct 2 and 4 — Pembroke Community Middle School, 559 School St./Route 27
• Precinct 3 — Bryantville Elementary School, 29 Gurney Drive
• Precinct 5 — North Pembroke Elementary School, 72 Pilgrim Road.

To find out where to vote, visit wheredoivotema.com or call the town clerk’s office at 781-293-7211. The deadline to register to vote in the state election has passed.