Even with the July 4 holiday falling in the middle of the advance voting period for Georgia's primary runoff, Hall County voters turned out in fairly large numbers to cast ballots over the last three weeks, according to elections officials.
Hall County Registrations Coordinator Terenda Sargent released the three-week tally just after 5 p.m. Friday, showing a total of 4,510 early voters for the advance voting period. The bulk of the early ballots were cast this past week — 2,173 —and the busiest day for early voting was Friday, July 20 when 643 voters visited the Hall County Government Center to cast their early ballots.
Sargent said the early turnout for the runoff was better than the early turnout for the May 22 primary; 3,849 Hall County voters cast early ballots ahead of the general primary election.
AccessWDUN surveyed a couple of other counties in the region on Friday afternoon, and in White County, Chief Voter Registrar Lisa Manning said early voting for the primary runoff had outpaced early voting for the general primary.
"As of 3 p.m. today [Friday] we have had 1,123 early voters — 1089 republicans, 34 democrats. We had 1,009 total early voters in the May primary," Manning wrote in response to written inquiry. She attributed the larger numbers to the GOP gubernatorial runoff and a local school board runoff.
In Forsyth County, the advance primary runoff turnout was lower than the advance turnout for the May primary, according to Elections Supervisor Barbara Luth. As of 3 p.m. Friday, the numbers were 6,698, compared to a total of 11,133 in May.
"For a runoff I feel this is a good turnout," Luth said via email.
In Habersham County, 2,082 people participated in early/advance voting, compared to 2,211 in May, according to Election Supervisor/Chief Registrar Laurel Ellison.
Additionally, Habersham County officials mailed 407 absentee ballots and have received 320 of those by mail. The remaining 87 absentee ballots by mail must be received by 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 24.
The primary runoff is Tuesday, July 24. Polls open across the state at 7 a.m. and will remain open until 7 p.m. Any voters in line by 7 p.m. will be allowed to cast a ballot.
