Cobb County voters cast ballots on Sunday for the first time after the Board of Elections in August added one Sunday to the advanced voting schedule.
During the four-hour window on Sunday at the only open voting location, 1,028 people voted in person, according to county data. For comparison, 1,386 people cast ballots at the same location during a 12-hour window on the first day of early voting, meaning the average vote per hour on Sunday was higher.
Tori Silas, the chairwoman of the Cobb Board of Elections, said that while she would have liked to have seen a higher turnout, it was still significant compared to other days.
“If you look at some of the days where we have 12 hours of voting 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., we’re not averaging that number of people,” Silas said.
The county offered a total of three weeks, also including two Saturdays, for advanced voting this election. Nearly 7,000 people voted this past Saturday at Cobb’s 12 precincts, which were open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Across Georgia, just over 24,000 people voted on Sunday in the 14 counties offering Sunday voting options, with the highest Sunday turnout rates in Fulton, Gwinnett and DeKalb counties.
With record-breaking early voting rates across the state, overall turnout is expected to surpass the last midterm election in 2018.
Early voting locations in Cobb will be open on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Nov. 4. Voters can find their early voting locations through Georgia’s My Voter Page at www.mvp.sos.ga.gov.
