Georgia residents wait up to 8 hours to vote early

[last_texas_dem]

Source: Associated Press

>>>>ATLANTA – Georgia residents packed polling places as early voting started in earnest this week, braving lines as long as eight hours to cast ballots and forcing some voting sites to stay open deep into the night.
Polls have been open in Georgia since Sept. 22, but dozens more opened this week as part of a statewide strategy to ease the crunch on Election Day. The advance voting sites will be open every day through Friday.
The new system has been popular: About 200,000 votes cast their ballots on Monday alone. They're among 1.2 million people, more than 20 percent of the state's 5.6 million registered voters, who have voted early so far.>>>> snip

>>>>The lines were longest in metro Atlanta, where Democrat Barack Obama's candidacy was expected to increase black voter turnout. Republican John McCain is favored to win the state, although recent polls show he has a modest lead.
About 35 percent of the early voters were black, a disproportionate hunk of the state's population. Figures from Oct. 1 show blacks make up 29 percent of Georgia's electorate.>>>>

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081028/ap_on_el_pr/early_voting

[CottonBear]

1. I waited less than 20 minutes in Athens, GA this morning but we are a blue city-county.

I just don't understand why the lines are so long in the Atlanta area unless the voters are being challenged for not having the proper photo ID and maybe for address/voter verification problems (no thanks to Republican SoS Karen Handle.)
:grr:

Maybe, this many people voting is overwhelming. My question: why aren't the local boards of elections in blue Atlanta area counties and cities ready to handle a massive turnout?

signed,

Distressed GA voter (Cottonbear)

[Warpy]

2. I went at 3 PM here in NM

and still found a half hour line.

Still, I was glad I did. I had been voter caged and misclassified "inactive." A call downtown to check my real status cleared it up. The judge at the polling place said that it was a huge problem this year.

Phone lines will be jammed on Nov. 5. If you can vote early, do so.

[JeanGrey]

3. Gee I'm glad I voted a week ago.