Atlanta’s Early Voters Show Up In High Numbers — Despite Pandemic, Long Lines, Rain
The wait to cast an early vote was more than two hours Friday at the C.T. Martin Natatorium
Courtesy of Laura Hernandez
Long lines snaked around early voting locations in metro Atlanta on Friday as people wanted to get their ballot in before the June 9 primary.
At the C.T. Martin Natatorium in southwest Atlanta, the wait to vote exceeded two hours.
Laura Hernandez drove around the parking lot for 15 minutes to find a spot and braved the afternoon thunderstorms.
“Exercising our right to vote is incredibly important to me, so I will be out here in the rain during a pandemic until it’s my turn,” she said as she started her wait.
Hernandez is a naturalized U.S. citizen, which, she says, makes voting even more important.
She had applied for an absentee ballot, but it had not arrived, and she was worried that time would run out.
“I waited until the mail came today. And unfortunately my mail-in ballot was not in there. So I decided that the best thing I can do is vote during early voting. Today is the last day.”
She feared that lines would be even longer Tuesday — Election Day.
People around her were wearing masks and keeping their distance. The rain didn’t seem to bother them.
“I love the spirit of everyone that’s out here. We’re talking about Black Lives Matter, and we all know what’s going on. It’s really a beautiful thing,” Hernandez said.
To accommodate the crowds, Fulton County officials say they added 29 tents, 575 chairs and 40 pallets of water to its early voting locations.
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