Voters headed to the polls Tuesday for Georgia’s primary elections should expect long lines and wait times at local precincts due to safety measures prompted by the coronavirus pandemic, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said Monday.
The warning comes after voters at several polling places in the Atlanta area stood in line for hours late into the night on the final day of early voting last Friday, sparking concern from elections officials and voting rights advocates that wait times on Election Day could be worse.
More than 1.2 million Georgians have cast ballots so far by mail and during the early voting period, a record turnout for a primary election that should help curb the amount of in-person voting on Tuesday, Raffensperger said.
But he still expects upwards of 250,000 to 400,000 voters may turn out across the state, spurring long lines as polling places space people six feet apart, take time to clean voting areas and use fewer voting machines to limit capacity.
“Things would be better if we weren’t in this pandemic,” Raffensperger said at a news conference Monday. “But it is what it is.”
Raffensperger also noted voters may take a little longer to cast ballots Tuesday while adapting to the state’s new voting machines, which involve touchscreens and scanners that record a paper print-out of a voter’s completed ballot. The primary marks the first statewide Election Day use of the new machines.
Polls open at 7 a.m. across the state Tuesday.
Health and elections experts are urging voters to make sure they stay separated from others while in line to vote, wear a face mask that covers both the mouth and nose areas, use hand sanitizer and avoid touching surfaces unnecessarily while at a voting site.
Dr. Marybeth Sexton, an assistant professor of medicine at Emory University’s Division of Infectious Diseases, said voters who follow those distancing and sanitizing practices should be able to vote in person Tuesday without the risk of being exposed to the virus. But if some voters at polling places are not spaced out in line or are not wearing masks, it would be wise to get tested for COVID-19 four to five days after voting, Sexton said.
“People can get out and vote safely,” Sexton said Monday. “It’s just important that the message gets out about how to best do that.”
Long waits are anticipated even as mail-in voting has surged in Georgia amid the coronavirus pandemic. As of Monday, roughly 950,000 voters had cast absentee ballots, though many still had not received ballots weeks after requesting them.
The surge in vote-by-mail comes as state and local elections officials face a daunting challenge to keep polling places sanitized and safe for voters and poll workers, particularly with polling places in some counties like Fulton closed or consolidated amid the virus.
Voters should check ahead of time whether their usual voting location will be open Tuesday and, if not, where they will be able to cast their ballot instead, said Andra Gillespie, an associate professor of political science at Emory. Sexton likewise urged voters to choose odd-hour times if possible when heading to the polls.
“You do want to try to pick a time when it’s a little less crowded so that it is possible to keep that distance both in any line outside and then certainly once you’re inside the building,” Sexton said.
Raffensperger urged voters who have requested absentee ballots but not yet received one to show up in person to vote Tuesday. He laid blame for delays on Fulton County elections officials, who now face a state probe into their handling of mail-in ballots.
“We’re not pleased with the performance of Fulton County,” Raffensperger said Monday. “In so many areas, they just made poor decisions.”
He also advised people who have received absentee ballots but not put them in the mail yet to either place them in a drop-off box that counties have set up to collect mail-in ballots or to just vote in person Tuesday.
Additionally, Raffensperger cautioned Georgians not to expect a quick turnaround in results due to the large number of absentee ballots and short-handed staff at some polling places. He said no election results will be announced “until every precinct is closed,” which could mean a few days pass before results for some contests are announced.
Meanwhile, Georgia Democratic leaders have chastised the performance by Raffensperger and some county elections offices over the long lines and unreturned absentee ballots.
“The secretary of state and counties have had months to prepare for this election, but they have squandered valuable time that could have been used to prevent the democratic crisis we are seeing today,” said Sen. Nikema Williams, D-Atlanta, who chairs the Democratic Party of Georgia.