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Long Lines Snarl Voting in Georgia's Primary Election Amid Pandemic

Associated Press

   ATLANTA, GEORGIA - Long lines snaked around polling places Tuesday, and
   some voters faced hourlong waits as Georgia held its twice-delayed
   primary election amid a shortage of poll workers and social-distancing
   precautions caused by the coronavirus.

   Widespread problems included trouble with Georgia's new touchscreen
   voting system in races for president, U.S. Senate and dozens of other
   contests. Some voters said they joined the lines after requesting
   mail-in ballots that never arrived. One state lawmaker from Atlanta
   said there was a "complete meltdown" in Georgia's largest county.

   Even before the trouble began, Georgia's chief election officer warned
   that results may be slow to come in as poll closures and virus
   restrictions complicate in-person voting and counties work to process a
   huge increase in ballots received by mail.

   "I always vote in primaries, but the political times that we're having
   right now, or the moment that we're having, is scary," Layla
   Cantlebary, 39, said as she waited to vote in Roswell, Georgia, outside
   Atlanta. "With all the civil unrest, it just underscores the importance
   of coming out and voting for somebody who you feel is going to lead the
   country to a better place than we are in currently."

   The long lines were evident shortly after voting began at multiple
   polling places, including the elementary school where Cantlebary and
   about 60 people waited.

   Cantlebarysaid she arrived about 15 minutes before her polling place
   opened at 7 a.m. and waited more than an hour. The self-described
   liberal said she had planned to vote by mail but her absentee ballot
   never arrived.

   In Atlanta, a line of voters wrapped around the block. Several sat on
   the sidewalk as they waited. Most wore masks. State Rep. William Boddie
   said he visited two polling locations that had long lines in his
   district. He said lawmakers from other parts of Georgia told him of
   similar problems.

   Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said voters in line at one of
   Atlanta's largest precincts reported all the machines were down. She
   encouraged voters to stay in line and said poll workers should offer
   voters a provisional ballot if machines are not working.

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