Atlanta-area voters turn out early

They weren’t standing in line, or sitting on the fence. But the steady stream of people who poured into elections offices around metro Atlanta on Monday were ringing in a new era of early voting for president.

Ballots must be made available at least 45 days before the election under state law. Once called “absentee ballots,” they no longer require people to give a reason why they’re voting early.

Phil Skinner / pskinner@ajc.com

Ken and Barbara Kaas vote at the Forsyth County Administration building in Cumming.

Will you take advantage of early voting before the Nov. 4 election?
Certainly. Get it done.
Maybe. If I can work it in.
No way. A lot can happen before Nov. 4.
Voter Limit: Once per Hour View Poll Results

What you need to know about early voting.

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Officials hope a healthy turnout among early voters will reduce lines on Election Day. The same fear of long waits seemed to motivate many who showed up to vote Monday.

“It was very easy,” said Renee Middleton, a DeKalb County voter bent on avoiding the election day crowds. She said the entire process, filling out paperwork and picking her favorites in the voting booth, took five minutes.

Grant Park resident Wilson Smith was among about 25 voters who cast ballots during the first half hour of voting in Fulton County. Smith, 58, said he works in Alpharetta and has difficulty making it to his regular polling place on election day. “I try to be at work at 7 o’clock,” he said, “and it might be 7 or after when I get back home.”

The same scene, plenty of voters but not so many as to form lines, was the norm around the region. In some counties it was actually the second day of voting. Some counties started Friday because the 45-day window technically came over the weekend. Roughly 670 people voted in Cobb on Friday, said Alyce Braxton, the county’s absentee voting supervisor.

For most early voters, September certainty trumped any worries about an October surprise. No one seemed concerned that new revelations about the candidates or the upcoming debates would leave them regretting their choice.

Bill Dickerson, of Cumming, said he couldn’t wait to vote for the Republican ticket of John McCain and Sarah Palin. “I’m so anxious,” Dickerson said. “I don’t think they’ll sell out like some politicians do once they get elected.”

Ed Womack, 41, went to the Fulton County elections office with the same kind of fervor. Only he had Democrats Barack Obama and Joe Biden on his ballot. “I’m totally convinced,” he said.

The enthusiasm was clear in Henry County, where officials said seven or eight voters were in line at the front door of the McDonough election center at around 7 a.m., an hour before the building opened.

“We were really surprised,” said Frances Jackson, elections coordinator. “People are anxious to voice their concerns and want to express them early.”