Election Day: Down to the wire reminder

An elderly voter casts her ballot at the Fulton County Government Center, Tuesday Oct. 28, 2008. (Dave Bender)

Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel reminds voters:

Polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 4, 2008. Georgia law provides that any voter in line at 7:00 p.m. shall be permitted to vote. Voters can find registration information, including polling locations and legislative districts, by using the Secretary of State’s Poll Locator at http://www.sos.georgia.gov/Elections or by calling (888) 265-1115.

Voters participating in the election on Election Day will be required to show one of the following six forms of photo ID:

• A Georgia driver’s license, even if expired;
• Any valid state or federal government issued photo ID, including a free Voter ID Card issued by your county registrar or Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS);
• Valid U.S. passport;
• Valid employee photo ID from any branch, department, agency, or entity of the U.S. Government, Georgia, or any county, municipality, board, authority, or other entity of this state;
• Valid U.S. military photo ID; or
• Valid tribal photo ID.
• If a voter does not have one of these forms of photo identification, the voter can obtain a free voter ID card at their county registrar’s office or the Georgia Department of Driver Services.

Anyone with additional questions about Georgia’s photo ID requirement can visit www.GAPhotoID.com or call toll free (877) 725-9797.

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Election Day marks 101st birthday for Ga. man

As Americans flock to the polls for a historic Election Day, Ellis Joel Daniel of Snellville will make a bit of his own history.

The World War II veteran and former U.S. postman turns 101 on Tuesday, and he knows a thing or two about voting in presidential elections.

Daniel, who voted absentee a month ago, has cast ballots in every race since 1928.

In 1932, Daniel threw his support to Franklin Roosevelt. That support ended because he believed Roosevelt allowed the Russians to take control of eastern Europe after World War II.

Daniel grew up in the small town of Millen in east Georgia. He served 24 years in the Army Reserve and three years of active duty during World War II.

Daniel says despite Sen. Barack Obama's lead in the polls, he thinks Sen. John McCain will pull out a victory.

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(AP)

2 Ga. counties consider extended voting hours

Voting instructions at the Fulton County Government Center. (Dave Bender)
undefinedVoting instructions at the Fulton County Government Center. (Dave Bender)
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Fulton County elections officials decided against asking for federal permission to extend voting hours on Election Day.

But officials in Clayton County are still considering whether to ask for expanded hours because of the heavy turnout in early and advance voting.

The Fulton County Board of Registration and Elections said Monday that the number of voting machines is enough to handle the crush of voters.

Polls are normally open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. in Georgia.

More than 2 million people have voted so far - or about 36 percent of the state's 5.6 million registered voters.

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(AP)

Officials: few problems in final days of early voting

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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Author Margaret Anne Barnes dies

Funeral services were held Sunday in Newnan for author Margaret Anne Barnes. The son of the 80-year-old Barnes said she died Thursday evening at Emory Hospital in Atlanta after a long battle with emphysema. Barnes wrote several books detailing landmark events in Southern history. Her 1976 book “Murder in Coweta County” won the Edgar Allen Poe award and later was made into a TV-movie.