Approximately 20,000 voters cast early ballots in Fulton County on day one of early voting, according to election officials.
Fulton County Commission Chairman Rob Pitts called Oct. 12, day one of 19 days of early voting, a success despite minor glitches and long waits to cast ballots.
“There was obviously a huge turnout and the holiday added to the volume,” Pitts said. “The interest in this election is going to be huge and historic.”
Pitts said glitches included poll workers not showing up, printers and scanners not working at precincts, and a quickly fixed technology issue at State Farm Arena. Pitts had nothing but praise for the Downtown venue, which is called “election central.”
“We had nearly 3,000 vote at State Farm Arena and voters were in and out in and about 15 minutes,” Pitts said. “It’s a unique voting experience.”
With 300 voting machines, 60 check-in stations, and free parking, voters on social media also praised the efficiency of voting at State Farm Arena, with many stating they were in and out in 30 to 45 minutes.
“If you go to one of the other early voting locations and it’s too crowded, come down to State Farm Arena,” Pitts said.
Fulton Elections Director Rick Barron said Oct. 12 was the second busiest early voting day in the county’s history. He said the last day of early voting on Oct. 30 could easily exceed 30,000 voters.
Barron acknowledged there were long waits, but in comparison to surrounding counties where some voters waited in excess of eight hours, Fulton had done well.
Along with the 61 early voting locations open around the county, two Mobile Voting Units will roll up to 24 scheduled stops around Fulton County. View the Mobile Voting Schedule. On October 29 and 30, the Mobile Units will serve as overflow for the busiest early voting sites. Fulton is the first Georgia county to offer mobile voting.
There are also absentee ballot dropboxes placed around the county as well. You can see a list of them at this link.
All early voting locations and hours can be seen at www.fultoncountyga.gov/voteearly
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