In the first week of early voting last week, 2,051 people went to the poll at the former Carnesville Elementary School-Primary building in Carnesville. Another 487 had cast absentee ballots.
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In the first week of early voting last week, 2,051 people went to the poll at the former Carnesville Elementary School-Primary building in Carnesville. Another 487 had cast absentee ballots.
CARNESVILLE – Franklin County Elections Supervisor Gina Kesler estimated that about 250 people per day would vote early in 2020.
That estimate was based on numbers seen in the 2016 Presidential Election.
Thus far, that estimate seems to be low.
In the first week of early voting last week, 2,051 people went to the poll at the former Carnesville Elementary School-Primary building in Carnesville. Another 487 had cast absentee ballots.
“It’s very busy,” Kesler said Wednesday morning.
Despite the volume of voters, Franklin County has not seen the delays that some metro Atlanta counties have reported, with hours-long lines.
Kesler said there was a line Monday morning before polls open but on average, it has taken a voter about five minutes to cast a ballot during the first two days of early voting.
Early voting is being held on weekdays through Oct. 30 from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. each day in the cafeterria of the former school on Hull Avenue in Carnesville.
A special day of voting will also be held on Saturday, Oct. 24, from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.
The move from the county elections office to the former Carnesville Elementary School cafeteria is being made to allow for more machines to be available and so that voters can safely socially distance during the coronavirus pandemic.
Voters enter through the main door of the school.
A table is set up to check to see if voters coming to early vote have already been issued an absentee ballot.
Voters who have been sent an absentee may still vote in person – either early or on Election Day – but should bring their mailed absentee with them.
Kesler said that her office has canceled a lot of already-issued absentee ballots and she reminded voters to bring their absentee ballots with them if they choose to early vote in person instead.
After the first table, voters step into the school’s former office to be checked in and issued their voting machine cards.
Voters must bring a photo ID to the polling place.
From there, voters walk down a ramp to the former cafeteria and vote on one of the 17 machines set up there.
The machines are spread out throughout the room and there is ample space for voters to wait should all 17 machines be busy, Kesler said.
Two of the machines are also set up for handicapped voters, she said.
After marking their ballots on the state’s new computerized voting machines, a ballot will be printed out.
Voters may take that ballot to tables in the center of the room to make sure it has printed correctly with all of their selections.
In the last step, voters will take their ballots to the corner of the room, scan them in to the vote counting machine and then exit the building through a side door.
Kesler said she will have six to eight poll workers in the cafeteria area at all times to direct voters on the process.
The voting area will be cleaned regularly, she said.
Voters are not required to wear masks when voting, though Kesler encouraged them to do so.
Voters may not wear campaign clothing or hats while voting, Kesler said, nor post signs or have signs on their vehicles while in the parking lot of the polling place.
State law prohibits campaigning within 150 feet of a polling place.