Local poll workers say despite record numbers of early voting in Northeast Georgia, they are still seeing strong turnout on election day so far.
Wes Daniel, precinct manager at Chicopee Baptist Church near Gainesville, said lines started immediately when the polls opened at 7:00 Tuesday morning.
"We opened up with about 100 or so. It took a good hour and a half or so to slow down," Daniel said. "We're at 316 at noon, so we are outdistancing anything this particular precinct has ever seen."
Paul Shires, manager at First United Methodist Church in Oakwood, said they have also seen high turnout, but it hasn't led to long wait times yet. He credited that to preparation by election officials.
"We added extra staff today based on how early voting was going. Obviously, we expected a good turnout today and we're having a very great turnout," Shires said. "We've added extra machines, so four minutes is about (the longest wait) we've had."
The Hall County Elections Department website says there are just over 153,000 registered voters in the county. The Georgia Secretary of State's Office data hub shows that more than 81,000 of those voted prior to election day.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2024/11/1270517/poll-workers-turnout-strong-in-northeast-georgia-despite-record-early-voting