Georgia early voting kicked off Monday with long lines in what is likely to become the largest vote in state history in a Nov. 3 general election headlined by a historic presidential race and two U.S. Senate contests, one of them a special election.
In Tennessee, early voting starts Wednesday. Recent elections suggest as many as 60% of voters statewide could cast their ballots during the two-week, Oct. 14-29 period before the traditional Election Day.
With heavy turnout expected due to the presidential contest between Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden, officials in both Tennessee and Georgia have urged voters to take advantage of early voting in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
Georgia Public Broadcasting reported Monday morning that in Cobb County, the state’s third largest, an early voting line tracker estimated two-hour waits across multiple sites.
Smaller Northwest Georgia counties’ lines were shorter, the wait times less drastic. But it was still considered one of the busiest early voting days in recent memory.