COWETA COUNTY, GA — A Georgia voter took notes and timed the voyage from end of the line to the voting booth on the first day of early voting in a midterm election driven by a governor’s race between the secretary of state, Brian Kemp, and a black legislator, Stacey Abrams, who would be the first black female governor in the country if elected. Early voting started Oct. 15. The election is Nov. 6. It took 33 minutes about two hours after pools opened.
When voters get inside the building they complete a form with basic information like name and address that was a little later checked against a driver’s license while in line.
When the polling office was reached, the basic information was rechecked by a clerk at a computer. That completed step resulted in being handed a yellow plastic card about the size of a credit card, which was inserted into a voting computer in another room overseen by an attendant. When inserted into the computer, the ballot was displayed on the computer screen. At the end of several screens of ballot, the choices were displayed for final approval and with the touch of the screen the ballot was cast.
Voters return the card to the attendant who hands out a sticker with a peach on it that says they voted.
Poll workers told me it was heavier than expected and they had called in additional workers.
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