DeKalb County resident Dennis Holliday said he waited about two hours to vote for Harris.
“This election is critical to our democracy,” Holliday said. “The trauma of Trump’s last presidency still lingers.”
Diane Harwell of Savannah voted for Trump because of his positions on abortion and the U.S.-Mexico border, as well as his frequent references to God and country. She was the first to go to the polls Tuesday for what she considers “one of the most important elections in history.”
Credit: Adam Van Brimer
Credit: Adam Van Brimer
Georgia counties plan to offer at least 16 days of early voting ahead of the Nov. 5 general election, with some even offering additional Sunday voting. The last day for early voting will be Nov. 1, the Friday before Election Day.
If Tuesday is any indication, the state could have a record 8.2 million registered voters this year. Voters’ enthusiasm was clear.
Tresa Hester and Wendy Hunter spent the weeks before early voting began registering to vote in the Savannah area.
It turned out that one of the people most willing to respond to their call was a college student, who stepped out outside the Savannah Civic Center polling place on Tuesday to cheer on early voters.
Wearing T-shirts that read “Overload the POLLS,” they were excited to see two Savannah College of Art and Design students who helped them register go to vote. SCAD residence halls are located across from the Civic Center.
Many voters had strong opinions about the presidential candidates.
Dan Mitchell of Atlanta voted for Trump at the Buckhead library. Comparing Trump’s performance as president and Harris’ performance as vice president, the 71-year-old retiree said Trump was “the better choice for the country.”
Allen, a DeKalb resident, voted for Harris because he doesn’t trust President Trump. The president, who served as a soldier in Vietnam, said President Trump was endangering Vietnam’s security through his cozy relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Many voters believed that the stakes of the election went beyond the policies of the candidates they supported. Some Trump supporters are concerned about voter fraud as the former president continues to claim the last election was stolen. Numerous state and federal investigations found no evidence to support this claim, and two recounts confirmed Democrat Joe Biden’s victory.
Still, Richard Mullis, a retired Macon barber, worried that Democrats would steal this year’s election.
“Democrats are really desperate,” Mullis said. “I think they will do whatever it takes to maintain their power.”
Democrats had their own concerns. Chris Rauch, a painting and carpentry contractor from Middle Georgia, voted for Harris.
“I don’t want an authoritarian government,” Rausch said. “Freedom is important to me.”
The high turnout on Tuesday was evident early on. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger announced that by 10:30 a.m., about 72,000 people had voted.
“This is going to be a record-breaking first day of early voting,” Raffensperger said at a news conference at the Georgia State Capitol.
Any doubts about the record turnout were dispelled by midday, when the total number of voters exceeded 122,000. By 2:30, the number of visitors had exceeded 200,000 and continued to grow. In a recent Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll, about 58% of respondents said they planned to vote early in person, while 33% said they planned to vote at their precinct on Election Day. Preference, 5% supported absentee voting by mail.
Voter turnout was high despite concerns that Hurricane Helen, which hit three weeks ago, could disrupt voting in some parts of Georgia. Raffensperger’s office said only a handful of counties are struggling to relocate early voting locations.
“When you think back to where we were two and a half weeks ago, this is something to celebrate,” Raffensperger said. “So many people said, ‘What’s going to happen?’ There’s no way elections will start on time in Georgia.”
While Raffensperger was in a celebratory mood, some Georgians cast their votes with an eye on what would happen after the votes were counted.
Stephanie Moses voted for Harris at the Buckhead Library. She is concerned about the fairness of this year’s campaign, but believes Harris is the right candidate to “keep our democracy fair.”
Credit: Caleb Groves
Credit: Caleb Groves
“We just hope that once everything is confirmed and finalized, there will be peace,” a Delta Air Lines employee said.
Alden Horton, a sophomore business administration major at Georgia State University, voted for Trump in Chatham County. Asked if he thought the results would be contested by the losing candidates, he didn’t hesitate.
“I’m betting on it,” he said.
Staff writers Michelle Baruchman, Adam Beam, Sarah Gregory, Caleb Groves, John Kovac Jr., Fletcher Page, Matt Reynolds, Adam Van Brimer, and Reed Williams contributed to this article .
Credit: John Spink
Credit: John Spink
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: John Spink
Credit: John Spink
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
