>>>
>>> LIVE
>>> LIVE FROM ATLANTA, 11 ALIVE 6 STARTS NOW.
>>> THE SECRETARY
>>>
>>> THE
>>> THE SECRETARY OF STATE'S OFFICE SAID DAY ONE OF EARLY
VOTING SAW RECORD TURNOUTS BUT
THAT DOES NOT TO APPEAR TO HAVE
DETERRED HAVE MANY.
WE FOUND HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE IN
POLLING LOCATIONS IN METRO
ATLANTA WILLING TO WAIT AN HOUR
AND WE'RE MOTIVATING YOU AND
>> LET'S START WITH HER AND SHE
JOINS US IN GWINNETT COUNTY.
>> CHERYL, VOTERS HERE AT THE
FAIRGROUNDS WERE RELIEVED AND
THE LINES AND TALK TO VOTERS
ALL OVER THE METRO AND TWO
COMMON THEMES.
COMMON THEMES. >> IT MEANS EVERYTHING.
>> THEY'RE VOTING BY ABSENTEE
BALLOT BEFORE ELECTION DAY
BECAUSE OF A POTENTIAL WAIT
TIME.
TIME.
TIME. >>
TIME. >> I'VE BEEN WAITING FOUR YEARS
AND I'LL WAIT AZLON AS IT
TAKES.
TAKES.
TAKES. >>
TAKES. >> THE MOST IMPORTANT ELECTION
OF MY LIFE.
>> A REPEATED THEME WHEN WE
SPOKE TO OTHER VOTERS IN
LAWRENCEVILLE AND GWINNETT
COUNTY LIKE MARIE ROGERS.
>> I JUST WAS A LITTLE NERVOUS
ABOUT ELECTION DAY AND HOW
THINGS MAY GO THAT DAY SO AS A
FAMILY, WE JUST DECIDED TO GO
AHEAD AND GET IT DONE.
>> WE ALSO TALKED TO VOTERS IN
SMYRNA AND COBB COUNTY.
ERIC IS VOTING EARLY FOR THE
FIRST TIME.
FIRST TIME. >> I NORMALLY VOTE ON ELECTION
DAY.
DAY.
DAY. >>
DAY. >> HE SAW THE LONG LINES
YESTERDAY AND DECIDED TO VOTE
TODAY INSTEAD.
TODAY INSTEAD. >> I NEVER HAVE VOTED EARLY IN
THE PAST.
THE PAST.
THE PAST. >> REPORTER: SOME COUNTIES
ANTICIPATED A WAIT TIME BETWEEN
4 TO 8 HOURS, EVERYONE WE
TALKED TO ARE ABLE TO VOTE
WITHIN TWO HOURS AND SOME EVEN
LESS THAN AN HOUR.
CHERYL.
CHERYL.
CHERYL. >> I'M GOING TO TAKE IT FROM
HERE.
HERE.
HERE. THANK YOU.
WATCHING
THOSE
THOSE ONLINE WAIT TIMES THROUGHOUT THE DAY, AND HERE'S
WHAT WE NOTICE IN GWINNETT
COUNTY.
COUNTY.
COUNTY. WHERE THEY HAVE NINE PRECINCTS
THAT WERE OPEN TODAY, WHEN WE
CHECKED IN AT AROUND 11 AM, THE
MAXIMUM WEIGHT WAS ABOUT THREE
AND HALF HOURS, AND THAT WAS AT
THE COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS.
BY 1 PM MOST LOCATIONS AND
THEIR WAY TIMES WERE EITHER
HOLDING STEADY OR INCREASING.
WITH THREE EXCEPTIONS, LOGAN
PARK, MOUNTAIN PARK AND THE
FAIRGROUNDS.
FAIRGROUNDS. BUT WHEN WE CHECKED 10 MINUTES
AGO THE TIMES WERE FLUCTUATING
AGAIN, ALL OVER THE PLACE.
THE LAWRENCEVILLE ELECTIONS
OFFICE NOW CLOSE TO MOST
PRECINCTS, WAITING TIMES ARE
EITHER HOLDING STEADY OR
INCREASING.>> WE
INCREASING.>> WE RECORD-SETTING FIRST DAY OF
EARLY VOTING.
EARLY VOTING. MORE THAN 128,000 PEOPLE VOTED
YESTERDAY, THAT IS 42% HIGHER
THAN THE RECORD SET IN 2016.
THE BIGGEST TURNOUT YESTERDAY
WAS IN FULTON, DeKALB, COBB AND
GWINNETT.
GWINNETT.
GWINNETT. DOUG RICHARDS IS LIVE IN DeKALB
COUNTY, AND OFFICIALS SAY THEY
EXPECT LINES TO THIN OUT
SOON.>> Reporter: HERE AT THE
DeKALB COUNTY BOARD OF
ELECTIONS OFFICE THERE IS
STRONG EVIDENCE BASED ON THE
RATHER SHORTNESS OF THE LINE
BEHIND ME THAT YOU REALLY DON'T
HAVE TO WAIT ALL DAY IF YOU
WANT TO VOTE EARLY,
PARTICULARLY IF YOU HAVE A
STRATEGY WHICH INCLUDES USING
AN EPSON TALENT BALLOT BOX, OR
IS SIMPLY WAITING FOR THE
CROWDS TO
CROWDS TO
CROWDS TO THERE WERE LONG LINES IN HENRY
COUNTY TODAY AND SO FAR FOR
GWINNETT, FULTON AND DeKALB
COUNTY YESTERDAY, ELECTION
OFFICIALS SAY HISTORY REPEATING
ITSELF, THE SAME THING HAPPEN
IN THE JUNE PRIMARY AND THE
LAST PART OF THE PRESIDENTIAL
ELECTION.
ELECTION.
ELECTION. LINES WITH A CURLY AND THEN
TAPERED OFF DURING EARLY VOTING
HOURS IN A FEW DAYS.
OFFICIALS SAY IT APPEARS THAT
VOTERS WANT TO SHOW UP THE
FIRST COUPLE OF DAYS AND REALLY
DON'T ADAPT TO MAKE THEIR WAY
TIMES SHORTER.
TIMES SHORTER. >> IT IS NOT NECESSARILY VOTER
SUPPRESSION IF YOU PROVIDED ALL
OF THESE AGENTS DURING THE
EARLY VOTING FORMAT AND THERE
HAPPENS TO BE A LINE.
EVERY PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
DURING EARLY VOTING, WE HAVE
LINES, AND WE TRY TO ANTICIPATE
THAT.>> FULTON COUNTY ELECTIONS
DIRECTOR RICK BARON SAYS THAT
IT IS QUITE LIKELY THAT NEXT
WEEK MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY THE
LINES WILL HAVE TAPERED OFF
CONSIDERABLY.
CONSIDERABLY. WE GOT SOME DATA FROM THE STATE
A FEW MINUTES AGO THAT VERIFIES
THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED.
IN JUNE, THE SECOND WEEK OF THE
THREE-WEEK VOTING PERIOD, WAS
EASILY THE LATEST AND IT PICKS
UP AGAIN THE WEEKEND
IMMEDIATELY PRIOR TO ELECTION
DAY.
DAY.
DAY. SO
DAY. SO IF YOU WANT TO VOTE EARLY
AND YOU DON'T WANT TO STAND IN
LINE, NEXT WEEK WOULD BE