Early voting under way Monday

Registered voters who have made up their minds about the Nov. 4 election can cast ballots starting Monday.

Early voting allows citizens to avoid long lines at the polls on Election Day. That could be a real time-saver this year because a heavy turnout is expected.

Under federal law, ballots must be available at least 45 days before the election. Officials in some counties, such as DeKalb, felt such a strong interest in early voting that they started last week.

In metro Atlanta, you can cast early ballots Mondays through Fridays at:

• Cobb County: 8 a.m.-5 p.m., 736 Whitlock Ave., Marietta. 770-528-2581.

• DeKalb County: 8 a.m.-7 p.m., 4380 Memorial Drive, Suite 300, Decatur. 404-298-4020.

• Fulton County: 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., 141 Pryor St. S.W., in downtown Atlanta, and at 5600 Stonewall Tell Road and 7741 Roswell Road. 404-612-7020

• Gwinnett County: 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m., 455 Grayson Highway, Suite 200, Lawrenceville. 678-226-7210

The Secretary of State’s Web site has information about voting locations in every county. Here is a complete list in a PDF

AJC staff reports