*Wow. I hear it’s the same in Texas.*
ATLANTA (AP) — The chance to cast ballots on Georgia’s first day of in-person early voting Monday had thousands of people waiting for hours to make their voices heard.
Eager voters endured waits of six hours or more in Cobb County, which was once solidly Republican but has voted for Democrats in recent elections, and joined lines that wrapped around polling places in solidly Democratic DeKalb County. They also turned out in big numbers in north Georgia’s Floyd County, a redoubt of supporters of President Donald Trump.
With record turnout expected for this year’s presidential election and fears about exposure to the coronavirus, election officials and advocacy groups have been encouraging people to vote early, either in person or by absentee ballot.
Many answered the call on Monday, showing up in numbers that overwhelmed some locations.
“We’d prepared as much as we could, but there’s only so much
