Headed to the fourth polling place of the day near his Poncey-Highland apartment Tuesday morning, Richard Bailey said he was frustrated at how difficult it had been to find the correct one.
The 74-year-old tried to find his polling location online Monday night. Completely lost, he asked a neighbor. When he showed up at the polling place, a poll worker pointed him in another direction. Three polling places later, Bailey was still trying to find a way to cast his vote for Stacey Abrams.
“It’s too complicated. They run you here. They run you there,” he told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution outside the Ponce de Leon Public Library.
For most voters, the process was smooth and lines manageable.
Credit: Caroline Silva
Credit: Caroline Silva
Regina Graham, 27, voting in the West End of Atlanta, said improving education is a top concern.
“I think that education is the basis of our economy and society,” she said from outside the Springfield Missionary Baptist Church. “If kids can’t access education, then how are they going to thrive in our world?”
Student loan forgiveness, a part of U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock’s campaign, makes her hopeful for future generations and ensuring less fortunate populations have the opportunity to receive education.
Credit: Caroline Silva
Credit: Caroline Silva
At the Cobb County Government Service Center, residents were voting on whether to add three new cities: Lost Mountain, East Cobb and Vinings.
Bob Nichols, 78, a retired airline pilot, said he voted for East Cobb cityhood, in addition to Hershel Walker in the U.S. Senate race and Republican incumbents. Banning transgender athletes from competing with non-transgender athletes is another issue that’s important to him.
“I think the United States is on the wrong track right now,” he said. “Sensible government is the only thing I’m concerned about.”
Susan Howard, 78, said she cast her vote with the futures of her 8 and 9-year-old grandsons in mind. Howard said she voted for Stacey Abrams for governor and against East Cobb cityhood.
In constant disagreement with former State Rep. Matt Dollar, who pushed for cityhood, Howard is “all for equality and transparency” and wants her grandsons to live in a progressive future.
At the Tucker-Reid H. Cofer Library in DeKalb County, which according to poll worker John Slayton served as the polling place for two precincts, the line never grew to more than about seven people Tuesday morning. One of the 12 machines failed to power on, but no voters were turned away.
Amber Jones cast her ballot around 10 a.m., then cheerfully added, “No voter suppression here!”
Credit: Henri Hollis
Credit: Henri Hollis
Voters in Gwinnett County were in and out, with no issues being reported at the Lucky Shoals Park Community Recreation Center.
For the system to work, everyone should voice their opinions, according to 51-year-old Gwinnett voter Charles Alexander. For him, the ability of individuals to have a choice is crucial. He also thinks that there are people using terms to describe others, such as “radical” that could actually apply to themselves.
”There’s people using terms that end in the word mob, or start with the term radical,” Alexander said. ”And really, from my point of view, the people using those terms are the people that are kind of pushing that agenda. People using the word radical are probably more radical than I would like to see.”
A steady stream of voters filed into Allen Temple AME Church near downtown Woodstock before 9 a.m. Among them was Debra Givens, 71.
Givens voted for Donald Trump in the last two presidential elections. But she picked Gov. Brian Kemp over Trump’s favorite, former U.S. Sen. David Perdue. Her polling place is located in Cherokee County, a reliable conservative stronghold that has overwhelmingly supported Trump.
”Number one, I want to make sure Brian Kemp makes it,” Givens said.
Samantha and James Kimbro brought along 2-year-old Wyatt to vote at Russom Elementary near Dallas. As a military couple, Samantha said they fought for their right to vote. They were done voting in less than five minutes.
”You lose your right to complain if you don’t vote,” James Kimbro said.
— Staff writers Adrianne Murchison, Henri Hollis, Alexis Stevens, Jeremy Redmon and Jillian Price contributed to this story.
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