Houston County residents wait for hours to vote early

PERRY, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT)– The first day of early voting in Houston County was Tuesday, and residents waited up to four hours in line to cast their ballot.

Bill and Cindy Maitland, wanted to vote early in hopes to avoid the November lines.

“We thought we’d see shorter lines. I’m glad to see they’re long though because that means more people voting,” Cindy Maitland said. “We just thought it would take less time, but guess what,” Bill added.

The Maitlands said although it was a long time, they tried to keep a positive attitude.

“We’ve stayed here for about three hours and 15 minutes,” Cindy said. “The lines wrapped around the building when we got here. At least there’s a nice breeze helping out.”

According to the Board of Elections, the Secretary of State’s database and high voter turnout caused delays.

Residents could only vote early at the election office, which caused confusion for some like Tammy Carpenter. Other polling locations include the Houston Healthcare Pavilion and Central Georgia Technical College, but those places don’t open until October 19.

“I’m frustrated because I looked for someplace to vote. Many people before me got turned around too,” Carpenter stated. “Once we got here we noticed long lines and they gave us water.”

Board of Elections Registration Assistant, Andy Holland, asks that voters stay patient with poll workers.

“The process takes a bit of time. We look everyone up, verify them, and make sure they’re able to cast their ballot. I would just ask people for patience with us. We’re working on ways to get the lines moving a little bit quicker.”

Early voting will continue until October 30. Polling locations encourage voters to have a photo ID when casting a ballot. If those who requested an absentee ballot decide to vote in person, poll workers ask they bring the ballot.