Georgia voters smash the state's early voting record

LEDE November 1, 2012 DECATUR A steady stream of early voters is seen at the Dekalb Voter Registrations and Elections offices on Memorial Drive in Decatur Thursday November 1, 2012. White voters continue to lose clout in Georgia. For the first time in state history, they make up less than 60 percent of registered voters expected to participate in this year's presidential election, according to new numbers from the Secretary of State's office. Among "active" registered voters, blacks remained steady at about 30 percent. The biggest difference, however, came from a growing pool of voters who declined to identify themselves by race or ethnicity. One caution: These numbers excluded some registered voters because of inactivity, although they remain eligible to vote in Georgia. KENT D. JOHNSON / AJC An early voting site in Decatur in 2012 (AJC/Kent Johnson)