Early voting for the presidential primary race started Monday. Several Atlanta counties have expanded early voting options — adding more locations and increasing hours. Fulton County has made some big changes this year due to some past problems.
Georgia’s secretary of state’s office launched an investigation in 2012 after numerous complaints about problems at Fulton County polling stations. The issues ranged from voters not showing up on the rolls to long lines to equipment malfunctions.
Fulton paid a $180,000 fine and agreed to make changes. Fulton elections director Richard Barron says, for starters, the county is opening 24 early voting locations this year, compared to three in 2014.
“It’ll change a lot of the problems you have on Election Day in a large county,” Barron says. “The lines will be shorter on Election Day. If you vote early, you get to choose where and when you want to vote.”
On Election Day, of course, voters have to go to their assigned precinct. Barron says voting early could also cut down on the number of provisional — or pending — ballots the county has to process.
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