FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — After Monday’s long lines of people at local early polling places, Fulton County elections officials called an emergency meeting Tuesday where they decided to open the polls two hours earlier going forward.
Channel 2 investigative reporter Justin Gray went back out to the C.T. Martin Rec Center on Tuesday where he found chairs spaced 6 feet apart for social distancing and bottles of water on hand for people who showed up to vote in person ahead of the June 9 primary.
The measures were part of the new precautions elections officials put into place to keep voters safe due to coronavirus concerns.
“The thing is just have patience. I have patience, so I said no matter what, I’m going to get it done. So I did,” voter Cleveland Jones said.
That's why the Fulton County Election Board called the emergency Zoom meeting, to try to fix some of the problems they saw on day one of early voting Monday.
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“I understand that we don’t want lines but at the same time I am concerned with the welfare of our poll workers and the voters that show up,” Fulton County election director Richard Barren said.
Fulton County originally shortened the hours of early voting to try to limit exposure for staff. But they found on Monday and Tuesday that voters started lining up hours before polls opened at 9 a.m.
So they are going to open early voting locations two hours earlier -- at 7 a.m. -- starting Wednesday.
Fulton County will also be expanding the amount of space they are using at voting sites to bring in more voting machines and ballot scanners.
Aissa Holliday McDaniel tried to vote on Monday, but the line was so long she left and came back Tuesday to try again.
“It’s worth it, you know? It is safe for them and safe for us so we do what we have to do but we must vote,” McDaniel said.
The board is also reiterating that if you applied for an absentee ballot it is coming in the mail and they want you to vote that way.
The process of having elections staff on hand to cancel those ballots for people who show up in person after requesting an absentee ballot is slowing down the whole system.
If you plan on voting in person, here's what you can expect:
- Voters will stand six feet apart.
- You'll use hand sanitizer when checking in.
- In some counties, voters will use a tap a touchscreen with a stylus instead of a finger.
- Early voting is for three weeks before the June 9 election.
- Officials ask that you stay home if you are sick.
Find out voting locations, sample ballots and any other questions you have here.
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