Early voting has proven popular in Chatham County, where Monday and Tuesday more than 1,800 people cast ballots for the upcoming general election.
A long, steady steam of voters at the Chatham County Board of Elections building throughout the day Wednesday convinced officials the program’s success would continue throughout the three-week period.
“It’s going very well,” said Sandra Williams, the director of Chatham County’s Voter Registration Office that heads early voting. “We’re getting a whole lot of people here ready to vote for the November election a little early.”
Although the day’s count of voters was not available Wednesday evening, Williams expected similar numbers to Monday and Tuesday.
“I’m not surprised (at the turnout),” she said. “We had long lines when we had early voting in 2008, so that’s what we expected.”
For Savannah resident David Stone, the convenience of voting on his own schedule brought him to the polls Wednesday to vote for President Barack Obama.
“They handle this so well,” Stone, a self-described political junkie, said after voting. “It’s a really pleasant experience with very polite workers, and even with the long line you get through pretty quickly. I think I was here all of 20 minutes or so.”
For David Ryden early voting meant he did not have to hassle with a paper absentee ballot.
“I’m not going to be here on voting day,” said Ryan, who did not share whom he voted for. “It went really smoothly; it’s probably better than voting on Election Day.”
John Rymes agreed, adding that Tuesday night’s presidential debate inspired him to vote as quickly as possible.
“I planned to do early voting anyway, but I think watching last night it gave me a lot more enthusiasm to come out and vote,” the lifetime Savannah resident said. “It’s great that they offer this because it allows me to vote on my own time when it’s convenient to my schedule.”
Another early voter — who asked not to be identified because she didn’t want her neighbors at The Landings to know whom she voted for — said the debate brought her to the polls as well.
“I wanted to get down here and cast my vote for President Obama as quickly as possible,” the voter said. “I hope his performance last night got some of the people on the fence better informed and prepared to vote.”
So far, Williams said, there have been few problems with early voting, but, she said, people need to remember to bring photo identification and leave their campaign buttons, T-shirts, and even bumper stickers at home.
“It’s a no campaigning area,” she said. “So that means none of that. We can’t let you in if you have that stuff on, and you can’t park within 150 feet (of the building) if you’ve got a (campaign) sticker on your vehicle.”
The only downside?
“There’s only one location for the entire (county),” said Amanda Kulkoski. “I wish they’d open more places. I think they’d get even more early voters.”
Vote Early
Registered Chatham County voters can cast their ballots during early voting through Nov. 2 at the Chatham County Board of Elections building at 1117 Eisenhower Drive, Suite E. Early voting is held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.