Polls are now open in Gwinnett County and, if the line at one local precinct is any indication, turnout for Election Day 2016 could be very high.
Well over 100 people were lined up at the Gwinnett County Fairgrounds in Lawrenceville even before it opened to voters at 7 a.m., clutching yellow sample ballots and huddling together as a chilly wind moved through.
Raheem Punjani was one of the first to cast his ballot. He declined to reveal who and what he voted for, but said he was surprised to see such a large turnout so early.
"We can't complain if we don't put our choice out there, you know what I mean?" he said.
MORE: What's on the ballot in Gwinnett County?
MORE: Federal monitors coming to Gwinnett County to watch election
MORE: Check out The AJC's 2016 voter guide
Gwinnett County voters will, like the rest of the country, cast their ballots in the contentious presidential race between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, but there are plenty of important local races to be decided too. Among them are two county commission seats; a 1-cent sales tax for road, construction and infrastructure projects; and Gov. Nathan Deal's Opportunity School District.
And while Tuesday's turnout is yet to be seen, more than 166,000 Gwinnett voters cast their ballots in advance of Tuesday's election — a total that more than doubled the county's previous record number of advance voters and represents more than 38 percent of the county's active registered voters.
MORE: Gwinnett legislator owes at least $526,000 in back taxes
MORE: Democrats challenge Gwinnett's Republican Board of Commissioners incumbents
MORE: A look at a Gwinnett House district that's one of the most evenly split in Georgia
Polls throughout Gwinnett County will be open until 7 p.m., and residents are allowed to vote if they're in line by that time. Visit the Secretary of State's website to find your polling place.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced Monday that Gwinnett will be one of three counties in Georgia where it will deploy federal poll monitors, which are tasked with assuring compliance with federal voting laws. Fulton and Hancock counties will also have poll monitors Tuesday.
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