Gwinnett more than doubles early voting record

Hundreds of people lined up outside the Gwinnett County elections office for the first day of early voting earlier this month. TYLER ESTEP / TYLER.ESTEP@AJC.COM

Hundreds of people lined up outside the Gwinnett County elections office for the first day of early voting earlier this month. TYLER ESTEP / TYLER.ESTEP@AJC.COM

The state of Georgia shattered its previous early voting record this year — and so did Gwinnett County.

More than doubled it, in fact.

County spokesman Joe Sorenson said Monday that a total of 166,167 votes had already been counted in Gwinnett, a number that blows its previous advance voting record of 88,978 (set in 2008) out of the water. This year's record-breaking number includes advanced in-person ballots (150,367), absentee ballots (15,365) and electronic ballots sent to military members overseas (435).

All told, Gwinnett County has 430,954 voters it considers "active" — meaning that more than 38 percent of the county's predicted voters have already cast their ballots ahead of Tuesday's election.

In addition, Sorenson said more than 7,000 absentee ballots sent out had not yet been returned.

Early voting turnout has been high since Day 1 for Gwinnett, which had to open two satellite locations a week earlier than expected to accommodate the huge crowds at its elections office.

Among the more high-profile Gwinnettians to vote early was State Rep. Buzz Brockway — a Republican who announced on Facebook early Monday that he'd cast a "very reluctant vote for Donald Trump."

As readers of my Facebook page know, I’ve struggled to decide which candidate would get my vote for President. I don’t...

Posted by Buzz Brockway For Georgia on Monday, November 7, 2016

No early voting will be held Monday. Polls throughout Gwinnett County will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday. 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.