Early birds head to the polls in local elections

Early voting started today for local elections in 96 Georgia counties.

Advance voting ends Friday at 5 P.M. before the general election on November 6th.

Ballot items include several county and municipal seats, and a range of local measures.

Lynn Ledford, Vice President of the Georgia Election Officials Association, says she expects above-average turnout.

“There are a lot of mayoral races on the ballot, but also because of the presidential race there’s been so much interest. So I think that’s going to get a lot of the voters more interested.”

Major races also include city council seats, alcohol sales, and tax allocation measures.

State Election Board: Yes for voter I-D

Georgia should move ahead with the effort to require voters to show photo I-D's at the polls--that's the word from the state's election board. A vote of 3-to-1 Wednesday by the State Election Board said Georgia should put the requirement into effect "as soon as the law allows".

This vote comes only days after the Georgia Supreme Court threw out a challenge to the voter I-D law. The Secretary of State's office says the law would not be in effect for next Tuesday's special election in the 10th Congressional District. However, it could be used in the September local elections, unless another legal challenge is issued.

The battle over Georgia's voter I-D law has been ongoing for over a year in state and federal court. Opponents claim the law would disenfranchise minorities, the poor, and the elderly who don't have a driver's license or other government-issued I-D. The law's supporters, including Governor Sonny Perdue, say it's needed to prevent voter fraud.