Fulton, Clayton seek extended voting hours Tuesday

The Fulton County Board of Registration and Elections will meet Monday morning at the Pryor Street government center to talk about possibly extending voting hours on Tuesday.

Clayton also is considering extending voting at the county’s 58 precincts until 9 p.m. Tuesday.

The county governments are considering the move because of the heavy turnout of early and advance voters. Roughly 35 percent of voters in Georgia have voted.

Clayton, DeKalb, Gwinnett and Cobb considered asking for an extension of advance voting. But Coweta County was the only one to hold weekend voting, and its polls closed at noon Saturday.

Deputy Secretary of State Rob Simms said state law prohibits voters from casting ballots the day before Election Day, so extending early voting through today was not an option.

“… The secretary of state does not have the statutory legal authority or discretion to meet those demands,” Simms said.

A spokesman for Perdue said any changes to voting procedures would need federal approval.

A spokesman for Gov. Sonny Perdue said any changes to voting procedures would need federal approval.

“Local elections officials set voting hours and locations, and any changes to those plans would need to receive preclearance from the Department of Justice,” Bert Brantley said.

Brantley noted that this election cycle the state has changed its early voting guidelines to make it easier to vote before Election Day by removing the requirement that early voters provide an excuse to cast a ballot.

Secretary of State Karen Handel said some 2 million Georgians have voted since early voting began Sept. 22.

Still, despite the 45 days voters have had to cast their ballots in advance, it wasn’t enough for some.

“It is a shame and a disgrace that in 2008, the state of Georgia is lagging behind in making it simple, easy and convenient to take part in the democratic process,” Rep. John Lewis said Friday at a state Capitol news conference.