For Althea Mangualt of Woodstock, voting in the presidential primary took on greater meaning Tuesday after her husband, who was a Marine, died the night before.
“He can’t vote, so we need to keep doing it,” Mangualt said after voting at Woodstock City Church.
With the presidential nominees mostly decided before Georgia voters could weigh in, turnout was light across the state Tuesday, without any lines at polling places.
Many voters said they needed to make their voices heard about their choices to lead the country.
“If you don’t vote today, you don’t get to complain about what’s on the ballot for November. And there’s a lot to complain about,” Lynn Weddle said after voting in Savannah.
All registered voters were eligible to participate in either the Democratic or Republican primaries, headlined by President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, respectively.
Credit: Michelle Baruchman
Credit: Michelle Baruchman
But there were many other potential contenders to choose from as well. Voters could pick from 11 Republicans or three Democrats. All votes counted, including ballots cast for candidates who dropped out or suspended their campaigns.
Credit: Adam Van Brimmer
Credit: Adam Van Brimmer
Kina Hester of Braselton said she isn’t looking forward to the rest of the election season.
“I’m afraid it’s going to be name-calling and maybe more division than it already is,” Hester said after voting in northeast Gwinnett County at Hamilton Mill Christian Church.
The lack of competition in the races, with each party’s nominees essentially decided, contributed to light turnout, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said. Biden and Trump already have nearly enough delegates from other states’ primaries to effectively secure their nominations.
“If we’re keeping it real here, I think it’s kind of baked in who the victor will probably be on this side of the aisle and who the victor will be on the other side of the aisle,” Raffensperger said. “But our job is to make sure things go smooth, and that’s what we’ve seen so far.”
Voters and election officials reported minor issues in several areas before the polls closed at 7 p.m.
Several voters were surprised to learn that their voting locations had recently changed, and they only found out they were at the wrong precincts when they saw signs posted on the door, such as a location changed from the Smyrna Community Center to the Shiloh Seventh-day Adventist Church in Cobb County.
Credit: Jillian Price
Credit: Jillian Price
In four Gwinnett County precincts, election workers forgot to bring voter cards, but election officials were able to manually load ballots on voting machines. In Charlton County, two precincts opened late because poll workers didn’t bring the keys.
In Columbia County, a ballot configuration error in a special election for the state House affected 130 voters, but election workers used backup procedures so that voting wasn’t interrupted, said Gabriel Sterlng, chief operating officer in the secretary of state’s office.
Frank Anetole Houeffa said he voted at the North Fulton Government Service Center because he wants to see change in America, particularly with housing and immigration.
”The landlords, they take advantage of the poor people,” Hoeuffa said. ”What is best for our country is to stop the leakage of the immigrants coming from the other side of the border, killing innocent Americans.”
Turnout was about 11% of Georgia’s roughly 8 million registered voters, with about 875,000 ballots cast in the presidential primary. By comparison, 2 million voters turned out for the 2016 and 2020 presidential primaries, which were more competitive.
About 440,000 Georgians cast their ballots either through early or absentee voting.
There was no wait for people to vote Tuesday morning at Hamilton Mill Christian Church in Gwinnett County.
Several said they weren’t excited about either Trump or Biden to serve again as president.
”I would’ve liked better options, but I’m working with what I have,” said Jenolee Lindsay, an information technology administrator who considers herself an independent voter and lives in Buford.
She said she took the time to vote because she considers it her duty.
“It is a right that many before me fought for,” said Lindsay, who is a Black woman. “Many before me didn’t get the opportunity to do this.”
The results of Georgia’s presidential primary will award delegates to candidates, with nominees chosen at each party’s convention this summer.
Credit: Matt Kempner
Credit: Matt Kempner
Georgia was one of four states with a presidential primary Tuesday, along with Hawaii, Mississippi and Washington.
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