PHOTOS: Georgia voters struggle with long lines, new equipment, social distancing

Political Insider

PHOTOS: Georgia voters struggle with long lines, new equipment, social distancing

Primary election day in Georgia arrived Tuesday as voters braced for long lines during coronavirus pandemic at the polls. Problems with new voting computers also plagued voters, leading to long lines and some leaving without casting their ballots.

Voters line up outside Park Tavern in Midtown Atlanta to vote in Georgia's primary on Tuesday, June, 9, 2020. Long waits were expected. JOHN SPINK / JOHN.SPINK@AJC.COM

Voters waited in very long lines at Park Tavern at Piedmont Park in Midtown Atlanta on election day on Tuesday, June 9, 2020. JOHN SPINK / JOHN.SPINK@AJC.COM

Voters cast ballots at Park Tavern in Midtown Atlanta on Tuesday, June 9, 2020. JOHN SPINK / JOHN.SPINK@AJC.COM

‪A poll worker is walking the line at the Central Park Recreation Center telling the 140 voters in line that a machine is down. She said they’ll have to vote with paper provisional ballots until a tech gets here. Fulton elections head Richard Barron has said there will be one tech for every three precinct to help fix issues like this on Election Day. This precinct has 2,895 registered voters.

Voters experienced long lines and reported machine glitches at the Central Park Recreation Center polling location.

Voters line up outside Park Tavern in Midtown Atlanta to vote in Georgia's primary on Tuesday, June 9, 2020. Long waits were expected. JOHN SPINK / JOHN.SPINK@AJC.COM

LaVonya Tensley of Smyrna wears gloves and a face mask while casting her vote at the Smyrna Community Center during the Georgia Primary, Tuesday, June 9, 2020. Voters were given the opportunity to use a stylus pen for the voting machines.

First time Cobb County poll clerk Jazmine Green, 26, gives Smyrna resident Alex Walke his electronic ballot at the Smyrna Community Center.

Cobb County voters wait in lines that snake around the gym in order to cast their ballot at the Smyrna Community Center.

Cobb County Poll Clerk Andrea Keener (left) assists Smyrna resident Qris Dorvil as she places her ballot in the electronic ballot machine at the Smyrna Community Center.

Daniel Dishman, 43, who operates an e-commerce company, arrived at the Sandtown precinct off Campbellton Road SW at 7 a.m. the line was already long and poll workers came out to tell voters they were having technical problems. Around 8:18 a.m., he said voting began. He finished at 10:15 a.m. and was able to use the machines, print his ballot and scan it. “It did scan, but whether or not, whatever happened obviously I wouldn’t know. I just hope that it worked,” he said.
He said he votes every election and walked away “feeling good.” “ I feel like they did what they were supposed to do. They resolved it and kept it moving.”

Eddie and Coretta Finnell of Powder Springs, who took advantage of early and absentee voting, purchased water and snacks to pass out to voters waiting in line at the Ford Center. Coretta Finnell said she wanted to help after she heard "some people were leaving due to impatience." The Finnells said they are the type of people who take action to help others in need. "It's so important to vote in these times," Eddie Finnell said.

Ahkeba Green, 43, was in line at Peachcrest Elementary School in DeKalb County when voters were told the systems were down and the new voting machines were not working. She ended up waiting more than two hours, leaving her daughter in line at one point so she could go home and bring water to pass out to voters, who were lined up down several hallways inside the school. The lines got moving again after 9. “It kind of gives you a voter suppression-type feeling,” Green said. “Sometimes it comes to frustrate you, but you have to push past that and know that it’s our right to vote.”

Smyrna resident Courtney Marshall wears a “Black Lives Matter” shirt while using the new electronic voting machine to cast her ballot at the Smyrna Community Center.

Brad Raffensperger, Georgia Secretary of State, speaks during an interview with NBC affiliate Channel 11 outside of the Smyrna Community Center.

Poll clerk Andrea Keener sanitizes the electronic ballots and stylus pen after voters used them to cast their ballot at the Smyrna Community Center.

A masked voter receives their sticker from a poll clerk (left) after successfully casting their ballot at the Smyrna Community Center.

Caleb Davis (L) catches up on his reading as he waits in a long voting line at the Metropolitan Library Tuesday, June 9, 2020. STEVE SCHAEFER FOR THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION

Voters wait in a long line that stretched around the Metropolitan Library Tuesday, June 9, 2020. STEVE SCHAEFER FOR THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION

Voters wait in long lines at Peachcrest Elementary School on Tuesday, June 9, 2020. The gym only has five voting machines set up despite having nine others onsite. The Covid-19 restrictions only allow 10 people in the gym at a time so many machines are not being used, creating long wait times. The lines around lunchtime were taking 2.5 hours. (Jenni Girtman for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Voters wait in long lines at Peachcrest Elementary School on Tuesday, June 9, 2020. The gym only has five voting machines set up despite having nine others onsite. The Covid-19 restrictions only allow 10 people in the gym at a time so many machines are not being used, creating long wait times. The lines around lunchtime were taking 2.5 hours. (Jenni Girtman for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Voters wait in long lines at Peachcrest Elementary School on Tuesday, June 9, 2020. The gym only has five voting machines set up despite having nine others onsite. The Covid-19 restrictions only allow 10 people in the gym at a time so many machines are not being used, creating long wait times. The lines around lunchtime were taking 2.5 hours. (Jenni Girtman for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Voters join the end of the line at Peachcrest Elementary School on Tuesday, June 9, 2020. The gym only has five voting machines set up despite having nine others onsite. The Covid-19 restrictions only allow 10 people in the gym at a time so many machines are not being used, creating long wait times. The lines around lunchtime were taking 2.5 hours. (Jenni Girtman for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Voters wait in long lines at Peachcrest Elementary School on Tuesday, June 9, 2020. The gym only has five voting machines set up despite having nine others onsite. The Covid-19 restrictions only allow 10 people in the gym at a time so many machines are not being used, creating long wait times. The lines around lunchtime were taking 2.5 hours. (Jenni Girtman for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Voters wait in long lines at Peachcrest Elementary School on Tuesday, June 9, 2020. The gym only has five voting machines set up despite having nine others onsite. The Covid-19 restrictions only allow 10 people in the gym at a time so many machines are not being used, creating long wait times. The lines around lunchtime were taking 2.5 hours. (Jenni Girtman for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Not all is a mess in DeKalb. At Peachtree Charter Middle School in Dunwoody, there was no line and voters were in and out of the building quickly. Poll worker Billie Williams said they had about 100 or so people for the morning and had experienced no technical problems. The biggest issue she faced was directing people between her precinct and another for the nearby Georgetown voters. The Georgetown precinct is usually held in a nursing home in the area but was pulled out of service because of the coronavirus. It was moved to another part of Peachtree Middle just a few doors down from Williams precinct, a confusion she wanted to avoid.

June 9, 2020 DeKalb County: Voters wait at Cross Keys High School located at 1626 N Druid Hills Rd NE in DeKalb County where volunteers passed out water bottles to a crowd of 100 voters lined up for hours outside the building. Countless others left the line snaked around the building or never joined at all, as word spread the machines weren't working and the precinct quickly ran out of the 20 provisional ballots. Jonathan Banes, the precinct manager, said he tried repeatedly to troubleshoot the equipment but his PIN number won't work. He pleaded with DeKalb elections officials for technical assistance and more provisional ballots. Over 1.2 million people had already voted before the polls opened on Tuesday, three-quarters of them with absentee-by-mail ballots, allowing them to avoid human contact at the polls. Voters will decide on many candidates, from president to county sheriff. The ballot also includes races for U.S. Senate, U.S. House and the Georgia General Assembly. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM

06/09/2020 - Atlanta, Georgia - Mail-in paper ballots wait to be scanned by Fulton County employees at the Georgia World Congress Center during the Georgia primary elections, Tuesday, June 9, 2020. (ALYSSA POINTER / ALYSSA.POINTER@AJC.COM)

June 9, 2020 Atlanta: Voters had a long wait (some 2-3 hours) at the Park Tavern polling place located at 500 10th St NE, on Tuesday, June 9, 2020 in Atlanta. Many voters said they requested absentee ballots but never received them. Two lines, 300-yards long each formed parallel to Piedmont park in the parking lot as people patiently waited to vote. Over 1.2 million people had already voted before the polls opened on Tuesday, three-quarters of them with absentee-by-mail ballots, allowing them to avoid human contact at the polls. Voters will decide on many candidates, from president to county sheriff. The ballot also includes races for U.S. Senate, U.S. House and the Georgia General Assembly. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM

06/09/2020 - Atlanta, Georgia - Fulton County employee Dwan Bosman (left) scans mail-in ballots at the Georgia World Congress Center during the Georgia primary elections, Tuesday, June 9, 2020. (ALYSSA POINTER / ALYSSA.POINTER@AJC.COM)

June 9, 2020 Norcross - Gwinnett County residents maintain social distancing cast their votes during the Georgia primary elections at Pinckneyville Community Center in Norcross on Tuesday, June 9, 2020. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)

June 9, 2020 Norcross - Gwinnett County residents including Phaedra McKenzie (right) cast their votes during the Georgia primary elections at Pinckneyville Community Center in Norcross on Tuesday, June 9, 2020. âThere was no waiting line. It was smooth and easy.â McKenzie said. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)

June 9, 2020 Lawrenceville - Ann Henry, poll manager, relocates a sign after a vehicle accidentally hit the door of the polling location and made noticeable dents on the door (behind) during the Georgia primary elections at The Nett Church at Bethesda in Lawrenceville on Tuesday, June 9, 2020. Poll manager Ann Henry said a driver with medical issue drove into the line and hit the door. One person was injured and transported to a hospital this morning. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)

June 9, 2020 Atlanta: Poll Watcher, Erika Meyer posts information on Tuesday, June 9, 2020 at the Park Tavern polling place located at 500 10th St NE, in Atlanta. Many voters said they requested absentee ballots but never received them. Two lines, 300-yards long each formed parallel to Piedmont park in the parking lot as people patiently waited to vote. Over 1.2 million people had already voted before the polls opened on Tuesday, three-quarters of them with absentee-by-mail ballots, allowing them to avoid human contact at the polls. Voters will decide on many candidates, from president to county sheriff. The ballot also includes races for U.S. Senate, U.S. House and the Georgia General Assembly. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM

June 9, 2020 Atlanta: Voters had a long wait (some 2-3 hours) at the Park Tavern polling place located at 500 10th St NE, on Tuesday, June 9, 2020 in Atlanta. Many voters said they requested absentee ballots but never received them. Two lines, 300-yards long each formed parallel to Piedmont park in the parking lot as people patiently waited to vote. Over 1.2 million people had already voted before the polls opened on Tuesday, three-quarters of them with absentee-by-mail ballots, allowing them to avoid human contact at the polls. Voters will decide on many candidates, from president to county sheriff. The ballot also includes races for U.S. Senate, U.S. House and the Georgia General Assembly. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM

June 9, 2020 DeKalb County: Jacinte Blankenship votes at Cross Keys High School located at 1626 N Druid Hills Rd NE in DeKalb County where volunteers passed out water bottles to a crowd of 100 voters lined up for hours outside the building. Countless others left the line snaked around the building or never joined at all, as word spread the machines werenât working and the precinct quickly ran out of the 20 provisional ballots. Jonathan Banes, the precinct manager, said he's tried repeatedly to troubleshoot the equipment but his PIN number won't work. He pleaded with DeKalb elections officials for technical assistance and more provisional ballots. Over 1.2 million people had already voted before the polls opened on Tuesday, three-quarters of them with absentee-by-mail ballots, allowing them to avoid human contact at the polls. Voters will decide on many candidates, from president to county sheriff. The ballot also includes races for U.S. Senate, U.S. House and the Georgia General Assembly. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM

June 9, 2020 DeKalb County : Poll worker, Cindy Clark passed out voting stickers with gloves on at Cross Keys High School located at 1626 N Druid Hills Rd NE in DeKalb County where volunteers passed out water bottles to a crowd of 100 voters lined up for hours outside the building. Countless others left the line snaked around the building or never joined at all, as word spread the machines weren't working and the precinct quickly ran out of the 20 provisional ballots. Jonathan Banes, the precinct manager, said he's tried repeatedly to troubleshoot the equipment but his PIN number won't work. He pleaded with DeKalb elections officials for technical assistance and more provisional ballots. Over 1.2 million people had already voted before the polls opened on Tuesday, three-quarters of them with absentee-by-mail ballots, allowing them to avoid human contact at the polls. Voters will decide on many candidates, from president to county sheriff. The ballot also includes races for U.S. Senate, U.S. House and the Georgia General Assembly.. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM

06/09/2020 - Smyrna, Georgia - Smyrna residents cast their votes at the Smyrna Community Center during the Georgia primary elections, Tuesday, June 9, 2020. (ALYSSA POINTER / ALYSSA.POINTER@AJC.COM)

Adam Wash displays his sticker after waiting for 2.5 hours in long lines with his mother at Peachcrest Elementary School on Tuesday, June 9, 2020. The gym only has five voting machines set up despite having nine others onsite. The Covid-19 restrictions only allow 10 people in the gym at a time so many machines are not being used, creating long wait times. (Jenni Girtman for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

June 9, 2020 Atlanta: Poll workers respond to early glitches at the Park Tavern polling place located at 500 10th St NE, on Tuesday, June 9, 2020 in Atlanta. Many voters said they requested absentee ballots but never received them. Two lines, 300-yards long each formed parallel to Piedmont park in the parking lot as people patiently waited to vote. Over 1.2 million people had already voted before the polls opened on Tuesday, three-quarters of them with absentee-by-mail ballots, allowing them to avoid human contact at the polls. Voters will decide on many candidates, from president to county sheriff. The ballot also includes races for U.S. Senate, U.S. House and the Georgia General Assembly. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM

06/09/2020 - Atlanta, Georgia - Fulton County employees prepare mail-in paper ballots to be counted at the Georgia World Congress Center during the Georgia primary elections, Tuesday, June 9, 2020. (ALYSSA POINTER / ALYSSA.POINTER@AJC.COM)

06/09/2020 - Atlanta, Georgia - Fulton County employees open and prepare to scan mail-in ballots to be counted at the Georgia World Congress Center during the Georgia primary elections, Tuesday, June 9, 2020. (ALYSSA POINTER / ALYSSA.POINTER@AJC.COM)

06/09/2020 - Atlanta, Georgia - Mail-in paper ballots are scanned and counted by Fulton County employees at the Georgia World Congress Center during the Georgia primary elections, Tuesday, June 9, 2020. (ALYSSA POINTER / ALYSSA.POINTER@AJC.COM)

June 9, 2020 Norcross - Voting stickers and hand sanitizers are ready for use during the Georgia primary elections at Pinckneyville Community Center in Norcross on Tuesday, June 9, 2020. âI like new voting machine. It was easier to use.â Adams said. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)

June 9, 2020 Norcross - Gwinnett County residents including Latanya Adams (center) with her 4-months old son Princeton cast their votes during the Georgia primary elections at Pinckneyville Community Center in Norcross on Tuesday, June 9, 2020. âI like new voting machine. It was easier to use.â Adams said. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)

June 9, 2020 Duluth - Gwinnett County residents cast their votes during the Georgia primary elections at Pleasant Hill Presbyterian Church in Duluth on Tuesday, June 9, 2020. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)

June 9, 2020 Duluth - Gwinnett County residents cast their votes during the Georgia primary elections at Pleasant Hill Presbyterian Church in Duluth on Tuesday, June 9, 2020. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)

June 9, 2020 Duluth - Gwinnett County residents cast their votes during the Georgia primary elections at Pleasant Hill Presbyterian Church in Duluth on Tuesday, June 9, 2020. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)

June 9, 2020 Duluth - Kasharri Blacknell, poll worker, places tape indicators for maintaining social distancing as Gwinnett County residents cast their votes during the Georgia primary elections at Pleasant Hill Presbyterian Church in Duluth on Tuesday, June 9, 2020. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)

Voters wait in long lines, at times in the rain, at New Beginnings Full Gospel Church on Tuesday, June 9, 2020. The lines were taking more than 3.5 hours. This polling location opened at 7 am with only one machine of the four available working and had two of the four working at 4:30 and were not providing provisional ballots. (Jenni Girtman for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Voters wait in long lines, at times in the rain, at New Beginnings Full Gospel Church on Tuesday, June 9, 2020. The lines were taking more than 3.5 hours. This polling location opened at 7 am with only one machine of the four available working and had two of the four working at 4:30 and were not providing provisional ballots. (Jenni Girtman for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Voters wait in long lines, at times in the rain, at New Beginnings Full Gospel Church on Tuesday, June 9, 2020. The lines were taking more than 3.5 hours. This polling location opened at 7 am with only one machine of the four available working and had two of the four working at 4:30 and were not providing provisional ballots. (Jenni Girtman for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Voters wait in long lines, at times in the rain, at New Beginnings Full Gospel Church as Election Protection volunteer Angela Walker, second from right, talks with the polling location manager Tuesday, June 9, 2020. The lines were taking more than 3.5 hours. This polling location opened at 7 am with only one machine of the four available working and had two of the four working at 4:30 and were not providing provisional ballots. Walker is working on election quality control for the non-profit organization. (Jenni Girtman for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Voters wait in long lines, at times in the rain, at New Beginnings Full Gospel Church on Tuesday, June 9, 2020. The lines were taking more than 3.5 hours. This polling location opened at 7 am with only one machine of the four available working and had two of the four working at 4:30 and were not providing provisional ballots. (Jenni Girtman for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

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Voters line up outside Park Tavern in Midtown Atlanta to vote in Georgia's primary on Tuesday, June, 9, 2020. Long waits were expected. JOHN SPINK / JOHN.SPINK@AJC.COM

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