Polling places across Georgia will open for the state's mandatory day of Saturday early voting despite coronavirus concerns.
So far, almost 224,000 Georgians have already cast ballots in Georgia, either at in-person locations or by mailing absentee ballots.
Voters in Georgia can vote early for three weeks before the March 24 presidential primary.
But turnout has begun to decline in some polling places.
“I feel like its slowed down because of people not wanting to go out,” said Paulding County Elections Assistant Supervisor Lacey Dunn.
Some poll workers have been reluctant to come in to work because of concerns about the coronavirus, she said.
But the county still “plans to hold the election as intended,” Dunn said. “We’ll probably have about 10 people, which is manageable.”
Muscogee County Elections Supervisor Nancy Boren said she hasn't seen the same slowdown. The county is averaging about 400 voters each day.
Boren also said she hasn't seen much concern from workers about coming to work during the outbreak.
“Definitely not any of our early voting staff, and we’ve only had one precinct worker, and she had a pre-existing condition and chose not to work,” she said.
The county plans to operate with full staff on Saturday, Boren said.
Any Georgia voter can choose to vote by mail instead of in person.
Voters still have time to request an absentee ballot from county election offices. Absentee ballots will be counted if they're received by election officials by 7 p.m. on March 24.
Where to cast your ballots and other issues on the ballot as metro Atlanta counties prepare for start of early voting:
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