Muscogee Co. voters line up outside the main branch of the Columbus public library, Friday, Oct. 31, 2008. (Dave Bender)
Voters throughout Georgia lined up under sunny skies on Friday and Saturday to cast a ballot on the final days of advance voting.
Voters patiently waited an average of 40 minutes to 1.5 hours to cast their ballots in one of the libraries' reading rooms, Friday, Oct. 31, 2008. (Dave Bender).
In Columbus, long, but fast moving lines greeted some 5,000 Muscogee County residents casting early ballots at the Columbus Library, according to election technician Tamika Booker:
“We’ve been having about 1,200 a day here at the library, as well as at one of our other voting sites. Two of our other ones have had a little bit less than that – maybe about 800.”
Jimmy Morris, a security guard at the Troup Co. Government Center assists voters waiting to cast their ballots, Friday, Oct. 31, 2008. (Dave Bender)
Further to the north, at the Troup County courthouse in Lagrange, Chief Registrar Donna Williams reports a similar turnout:
“It’s been a tremendous, great turnout. We’ve voted almost 13,000 people so far, and we’re steady going.”Officials say that statewide, the longest wait times during the past week have averaged two to three hours.
In Coweta County, polls were open on Saturday from 9 to noon at the county administration building in downtown Newnan. Some 200 residents cast their ballot, according to the Associated Press.
Residents got a federal ok to hold Saturday voting there, in 1986.
State elections officials say over a thousand lawyers will oversee Tuesday’s voting. The attorneys will represent the parties, the state and federal government, special interests and voting rights groups.
Polls for the presidential election open across Georgia at 7 a.m. Tuesday.
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