post your Advanced Voting waiting time (Atlanta, Acworth: casinos, malls, park)

[gt6974a]

Originally Posted by ebs964

So if this many people are "advanced voting" how bad could the wait be on Election Day?!

Probably not as bad, b/c you'll have 15 machines and a smaller pool of voters from a smaller area. That's what I told my parents today. They might just want to hold out.

For the primary, I walk straight up, 5 minute wait.

My wife did early voting in Bartow, 10 minutes and she was done. You're probably asking how?, it's b/c we just got married and she's still registered in Bartow.

[billl]

Just got word from a neighbor that voting at Spruill Library (Old Alabama in Johns Creek) took 6 hours. She is far more patient that I would have been....I would have left after an hour. She said the line wasn't long but it moved very slowly, and parking was extremly difficult.

For the last two presidential elections I voted on election day at Webb Bridge middle and the wait was never more than an hour. Unless I hear the wait times are 30 minutes or less I will wait until election day.

Bill

[neil0311]

2hrs 20min @ Cobb Election HQ on Whitlock. I have never been exposed to "advanced voting" before, and assumed it was a better substitute for an absentee ballot, but it looks like people use it instead of regular voting. They were showing people waiting 8 hours on the news.

Are polling places empty on election day? I think next time I'll wait for election day and probably walk in and out in 10 min or just do a mail in absentee ballot like I used to cast in MA.

[JPD]

I voted last night at the Tucker/Northlake location. I took two hours. I got there at 5:10 and was driving out of the parking lot at 7:15. There were 15 voting machines.

I think it'll be quicker to vote on election day. There'll be far more voting locations, each one pulling from far smaller populations and probably with many more voting machines per location. Subtract the enormous number of people who will vote before Nov. 4, and it looks like election day will be pretty easy.

Regardless of that, I'm glad I voted early...but there's no way in hell I'd wait 8 hours. Or even 4.

[JPD]

Originally Posted by neil0311

Are polling places empty on election day?

Not in years past, but that's impossible to answer this year since we've never had early and advance voting like we now have. It'll be interesting to find out what happens on Nov. 4.

[billl]

Originally Posted by neil0311

2hrs 20min @ Cobb Election HQ on Whitlock. I have never been exposed to "advanced voting" before, and assumed it was a better substitute for an absentee ballot, but it looks like people use it instead of regular voting. They were showing people waiting 8 hours on the news.

Are polling places empty on election day?

We have never been exposed to advanced voting either. It is new this year in Georgia. I remember the 2000 election I waited in line nearly an hour and considered that to be a "long time". For 2004 I think I was out of there in less than 30 minutes. So you're not going to be done in 10 minutes on Nov 4, but unless you're polling location is having issues you won't be waiting 4 to 8 hours.

[JPD]

Here's an idea for quick voting:

Since the polls are open on halloween, it might be quick to vote that evening. Show up 30 minutes before closing time on Friday, and most people will be home handing out candy.

[DPAT]

I voted this morning and it took 3 hours (Adamsville Rec - Fulton County). But we were inside the whole time in the gym (they handed out numbers as we walked in). They also started handing out juices... but this was as I was leaving, so I missed out.

[RoslynHolcomb]

I didn't necessarily vote early to save time. My schedule is flexible so I can vote any time. I wanted to free up space for other people who might not have the same options I do.

[IntownHomes247]

I think the biggest problem is caused because during the regular election day the polls are automatically set up with the correct races on the ballots for each location. In this new early/advance voting phase, the poll workers have to match each individual voter up with the correct ballot for their district so they only vote in the correct races. There's a state computer the different voting locations are apparently linked to, but turn-out appears to be greater than the system was engineered to handle which has meant that in some places this process has been done manually, which I can imagine takes quite a while. Perhaps by the next major election, if they decide to repeat this early/advance voting phase, they'll have a more efficient system in place.

Personally, I kind of enjoy the actual "election day" experience. Having the process spread out is strange and makes me think there are more ways to throw a monkeywrench into the works.