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Early voting starts; fewer sites in Hall and Forsyth counties

Exhausting election year has three more weeks

DECATUR, Ga. — The first day of early voting is coming to a conclusion across Georgia in this election year that extends into next year.  

Controversy roiled over counties that declined to open as many early voting sites as they'd opened for the November election.  And a lot of voters saw this day as the beginning of the end of an exhausting election year.

"Too many commercials bombarding the TV. I just want it out of the way," said Christi Hannah while early voting in DeKalb County Monday.  She was among the voters who seemed more than ready to put the 2020 election behind them.

"I’m exhausted. And especially with the general election with all the recounts and stuff like that. I’ll be glad when we can just put it all behind us," said Michael Mathis, a DeKalb voter.

Dwight Larkins of Hall County said it was time to move on. He voted early at the Spout Springs library. "Get it out of the way early and get into the holiday season," Larkins said. 

In Hall County, voters at the Sprout Springs library early voting site waited for more than an hour to cast their ballots.

"This is what you do. If you're going to make it right this is what you do," Jim Bareis of Hall County said. "Wait your turn and go do your duty."

The crowd was thick, in part, because Hall County officials decided to open only four early voting sites instead of the eight it opened for the November election.

"I checked online; so, I knew the one I used in the presidential election wasn’t available today; so, I came to this one," said Janet Powers, a Hall County voter

It surprised some voters who mistakenly showed up at the Mulberry Creek Community Center – where they’d early voted previously.

Critics said the decision by counties to use fewer early voting sites seemed to shortchange voters of color.

“In Hall County, there’s a very large Hispanic population that’s being disenfranchised because they’ve cut the number of early voting locations. We’re fighting hard to restore them," said Democrat Stacey Abrams, a former candidate for governor. 

Hall County officials said they opened fewer early voting sites because of a shorter ballot and an absence of poll workers over the holidays.

Most metro Atlanta counties were able to open the same number of early voting sites as they had earlier this fall. Early voting will pause around Christmas and continue through new year’s eve.

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