More than 21K voted early in Fulton; technological problems solved

The man left the Fulton County Government Center with the sticker "I'm a Georgia Elector", the state's trademark that has already hit his windbreaker.

Michael Elloie was one of the thousands of Fulton residents who voted during the early days of an advance vote. For him, the decision to vote early was cautious and pragmatic: he had health problems and did not want to take the risk of being too sick to vote on election day.

"I like to do it early and make sure to have it at my belt," said the 63-year-old cook Wednesday morning.

For Elloie, who lives in downtown Atlanta and goes to one of the top 20 polling stations in the county, it was imperative to vote for the next governor.

"It's very important that we find someone who does the work, not one who is everywhere," said the native of New Orleans who has been living in Atlanta for two decades. "I do not have a problem voting for the person I think is best for the job."

In this case, he said, it's Stacey Abrams. He enjoys having metropolitan roots in Atlanta – Abrams graduated from high school Avondale High School and Spelman College – and thinks he works better with Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms than Republican candidate Secretary of State Brian Kemp.

In Sandy Springs, Andrea Lutz was unequivocal about who would get her vote. The 70-year-old woman supports Kemp "because he is conservative and me too," she said Wednesday afternoon, saying "a big fan of him."

Lutz said he agrees with Kemp on all his positions: she wants to build a wall; she does not like sanctuary cities.

"I do not occupy immigrants, as long as they are legal," she said. "I do not like illegal immigrants."

Lutz was happy to see Kemp endorsed by President Donald Trump, she said, and also supports Geoff Duncan and Karen Handel in the respective races of the Lieutenant Governor and Congress.

"I love Trump," she says. "It's my man."

Michael Elloie voted early in the Fulton County Government Center on October 17, 2018.
(BECCA J. G. GODWIN / AJC)

A new poll released Wednesday shows a race for the governor of Georgia. A record number of Georgians, more than 6.9 million people, registered to vote ahead of the important – and potentially historic – elections of 6 November.

Lisa Kaufman, 52, of the East Roswell Public Library, said she was hooked on Abrams when she heard the Democratic candidate speak. Kaufman thinks that Abrams is poignant, but also down-to-earth.

"I've heard her speak and she's eloquent about the issues that matter to me and she's a smart woman," said Kaufman. "She had some really interesting life experiences. I think she understands ordinary people. "

More than 21,700 people voted in Fulton County on Wednesday morning. A spokesman for the county's electoral council said polling stations had corrected technological problems such as those encountered on Monday, while Internet-related problems made voter registration verification machines useless for many years. hours, creating long queues.

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Charles Williams, 61, poll clerk at the North Fulton Government Service Center in Sandy Springs, said 135 people voted Wednesday at 10:30, said Williams, returning officer for four elections, said 804 voted on Tuesday . Since Fulton's technology issues Monday, "everything has been pretty good," Williams said.

Beverly Peurifoy-Green, who is working for her second election as poll official at the East Roswell Public Library, said everything was "smoothly" since Monday. She added that 663 people voted Monday, 735 voted Tuesday and about 75 people voted Wednesday at 11 am.

Voting early is not for everyone, though. A man leaving the Fulton County Government Center for another case said he would not vote early because something could be said about the candidates before polling day.

A woman tried to vote in the center but failed because she was still registered in DeKalb County.

Fulton County Government Center October 17, 2018.
(BECCA J. G. GODWIN)

As Nick Smart traveled to North Fulton to vote on Wednesday afternoon, he was inclined to vote for Kemp.

"I'm really not happy with any of the governorship candidates," said Smart. "I do not think they represent us very well."

The 70-year-old resident of Sandy Springs said it would be a protest vote – the lesser of two evils.

"I am a man of law and order. I am not a fan of sanctuary cities, "Smart said. "I want someone good for business. I can not vote for the Socialist candidate for the governorship. "

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READ How long does the line take to vote early in Gwinnett? Here's how to check.