Long Wait Times for Early Voting in Metro Atlanta

It is reported that by Monday, over 21 percent of the registered voters have taken advantage of early voting and absentee voting in the state of Georgia. Many of these voters are newly registered, first time voters.

For the last couple of days, we've had unseasonal cold weather (in the low 40's in the mornings), but it has not deterred Georgia voters for waiting up to 5 hours to take advantage of early voting. The long wait times are mainly concentrated in the metro Atlanta area which has about three-fourths of the state's population.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has started reporting on the wait times at various early voting locations in the metro area. The state has already said that it will not increase the dates or times for early voting. The last day for early voting in Georgia is Halloween, Friday, October 31, 2008.

Early Voting Wait Times (by Metro Atlanta County)
(as of Wednesday, October 29th)

CLAYTON COUNTY
All offices open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.


• Elections and Registration Office: 121 S. McDonough St., Jonesboro
  
  Update: At 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, nearly 200 people were in line. Poll workers said the wait is 90 minutes, but a voter at the head of the line said he had been waiting three hours. Lines started forming about 6:45 a.m.; 10 machines are in operation. Some elderly voters didn’t know that here, as elsewhere, they can bypass the line if they’re at least 75 years old or disabled.
  
  
• Carl Rhodenizer Recreation Center: 3499 Rex Road, Rex
  
  Update: At noon Wednesday, about 125 people waited in line. A poll worker said the wait was 90 minutes, but a voter said she waited three hours. At least 200 people were in line 20 minutes before doors opened, with the first arriving about 5:30 a.m. Voters in Rex get to wait indoors — in the gymnasium — and there are activities for children.
  
  
• Lee Headquarters Library: 865 Battle Creek Road, Jonesboro
  
  Update: At 4:25 p.m., 147 people waited in line. The wait was about an hour and a half.
  
  
• Lovejoy Branch Library: 1721 McDonough Road, Hampton
  
  Update: Wait time was about an hour at 1:50 p.m., with about 75 people in line. The site has six voting machines, one more than on Monday.
  
  
• Morrow Municipal Complex (Community Room): 1500 Morrow Road, Morrow
  
  Update: Wait time was about an hour and 45 minutes at about 3:45 p.m., with about 130 people in line. The site has voting machines, one more than on Monday.
  
  
• Frank Bailey Senior Center: 6213 Riverdale Road, Riverdale
  
  Update: At 4 p.m., about 269 people waited in line. The wait was about three hours and twenty minutes in the morning, four hours at midday.
  
  
  COBB COUNTY
  Main office is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Satellite offices are open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
  
  
• Cobb Elections Main Office: West Park Government Center, 736 Whitlock Ave., Marietta
  
  Update:About 200 people are in line. The wait time is about 2 hours.
  
  
• East Cobb Government Service Center: 4400 Lower Roswell Road, Marietta
  
  Update: There is a two-hour wait time. At all polling locations, people who are disabled or over 75 years old can go to the front of the line between the hours of 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., poll workers said.
  
  
• South Cobb Government Service Center: 4700 Austell Road, Austell
  
  Update: Two hour wait time.
  
  
• Boots Ward Recreation Center: Lost Mountain Park, 4845 Dallas Highway, Powder Springs
  
  Update: Voters waiting in line at noon stayed inside the recreation center. Parking is plentiful and lines are moving fine. The wait: just under 2 hours.
  
  
• North Cobb Senior Center (at Kennworth Park): 4100 Highway 293 (Old 41), Acworth
  
  Update: Election officials report the wait is about three hours.
  
  
• The Gallery at Galleria Specialty Mall: Two Galleria Parkway S.E., Atlanta
  
  Update: Shortest wait in the county at 1 1/2 hours Wednesday afternoon. There is also no waiting outside this polling place and plenty of parking.
  
  
  DEKALB COUNTY
  All offices are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
  
  
• Memorial Drive Complex: 4380 Memorial Drive, Suite 300, Decatur (across street from the jail)
  
  Update: At 4 p.m., the wait was an hour and a half, elections officials said.
  
  
• Decatur: 330 West Ponce de Leon Ave., Room A, Decatur (Directly across the street from the Wachovia Bank, closer to the Post Office)
  
  Update: At 4 p.m., the wait was an hour and a half.
  
  
• Lithonia Middle School: 2451 Randall Ave., Lithonia
  
  Update: At 4 p.m., the wait was an hour.
  
  
• DeKalb County Fire Headquarters: 1950 W. Exchange Place, Training Conference Room, Tucker
  
  Update: At 4 p.m., the wait was an hour.
  
  
• Liane Levetan Park at Brook Run: 4770 N. Peachtree Road, Dunwoody
  
  Update: At 4 p.m., the wait was an hour and three quarters.
  
  
• South DeKalb Senior Center: 1931 Candler Road, Decatur
  
  Update: At 4 p.m., the wait was an hour and a half.
  
  
  FULTON COUNTY
  
  All offices are open from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
  
  
• Fulton County Government Center: 141 Pryor St., Suite 4064, Atlanta
  
  Update: At 4 p.m. wait times estimated at 2 hours.
  
  
• North Fulton Service Center: 7741 Roswell Road, Room 209, Atlanta
  
  Update: Three-hour waits at noon, with a line voters wrapped around the building and limited parking. Voters said the process was going smoothly and most were prepared for the cold weather.
  
  
• South Fulton Service Center: 5600 Stonewall Tell Road, Room 105, Atlanta
  
  Update: Three hour waits at 9:15 a.m., with several hundred people in line.
  
  
• Adamsville Rec Center: 3201 M.L. King Jr. Drive S.W., Atlanta
  
  Update:Voters and pollworkers reported 1.5 hour waits at about 3 p.m. People waited inside, sitting on bleachers. A second wait area was set up in another room for the elderly and handicapped so they would not have to use any stairs.
  
  
• Hembree Park: 850 Hembree Road, Roswell
  
  Update: At 4 p.m., the wait was about two and a half hours with about 450 people in line.
  
  
• Northeast/Spruill Oaks Library: 9560 Spruill Road, Johns Creek
  
  Update: At 4 p.m., the wait was about two hours . Hundreds of people were in line and more were arriving.
  
  
• Welcome All Park: 4255 Will Lee Road, Atlanta
  
  Update: Wait is about two hours at noon. Hundreds of people in line, but the voters are generally cheerful, prepared for the cold and the wait — some brought stadium chairs. Parking is extremely limited and voters are parking throughout the neighborhood.
  
  
  GWINNETT COUNTY
  The main office is open 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Satellite offices are open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
  
  
• Gwinnett County Voter Registration and Elections office: 455 Grayson Highway, Suite 200, Lawrenceville
  
  
• Centerville Community Center: 3025 Bethany Church Road, Snellville
  
  Update: About 600 people were in line when doors opened, with the parking lot overflowing and many people parking on busy Bethany Church Road and in a neighboring subdivision.
  
  
• Dacula Activity Building: 2735 Old Auburn Road, Dacula
  
  
• George Pierce Community Center: 55 Buford Highway, Suwanee
  
  Update: More than 400 people were in line at about 4 p.m. The wait would be about three and a half hours, but the line was growing longer.
  
  
• Singleton Road Activity Building: 5220 Singleton Road, Norcross
  
  Update: The wait time was estimated at one and a half hours at 4 p.m., but the line was growing longer. Poll workers got two more voting machines around midmorning, bringing the total to 14.

On November 4th find your local precinct here.

Read the AJC.com article about metro Atlanta wait times.

Read the AJC.com article about early voting in Georgia.

plez sez: voter turnout is expected to be HUGE on November 4th, vote early!

i'm taking my mother-in-law and her mother to early voting on Thursday morning.

BLOG UPDATE: 10/30/2008 1:00 PM - plezWorld took the mother-in-law and grandmother to vote at Adamsville Rec Center in Atlanta this morning. they had a special waiting area for senior citizens - as my mother-in-law is over 70 and her mother is in a wheelchair. all of the poll workers were nice and courteous, there were even some snacks (cookies, crackers, and bottled water) on the tables where we waited. the entire process took about 90 minutes.

i spoke with my mother (who lives in Virginia) earlier today... and she is taking advantage of early voting in her city, as well!