Georgia sets record with 126,876 votes on first day of early voting

Georgia officials reported record-breaking voter turnout Monday, the first day in the state for early voting, with 126,876 ballots cast for the Nov. 3 elections. 

The secretary of state’s office announced the record-breaking voting total Monday, adding the previous record was around 90,000 voters, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Some polling locations experienced hours of lines due to the high voter turnout and social distancing measures. Voters waited as long as six hours or more in Cobb County, which has historically voted Republican but has voted Democrat in recent elections, The Associated Press reported.

Other sites reported technical difficulties that were eventually resolved, according to the report. One site in Fulton County reported a temporary problem with pollbooks.

Some delays caused frustrated voters to leave polling locations, though an overwhelming majority stuck around to cast their ballot, with some people waiting up to 90 minutes to vote.

Cobb County Elections and Registration Director Janine Eveler told the AP that despite the county’s preparations for early voting, they were running out of parking spots as early voters piled in.

“There’s only so much space in the rooms and parking in the parking lot,” Eveler said, adding, “People are double parking, we have gridlock pretty much in our parking lot.”

The increase in turnout comes less than a month before the Nov. 3 elections. Thus far, President Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden have been running a tight race in the Peach State. RealClearPolitics, an election handicapped, shows Trump with a slight lead in the state. 

Trump won Georgia in 2016 against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by about 5 percentage points.