More Than 3,200 Vote Early In Bartow County

CARTERSVILLE, GA — The early voting process in Bartow County is moving along without any problems, even with the large number of people who have opted to make their election choices ahead of the Nov. 6 general election.

As of the end of Friday, 3,281 voters have visited the Bartow County Voter Registration and Elections Office to take part in advance voting. Cheryl Billard, the assistant election supervisor with the county, said that number is just 118 shy of the first week total for the 2016 general election.

"We are very excited and encouraged by this turnout, in part because the number of voters has increased steadily almost every day," she added, noting 595 ballots were cast Monday and 727 were cast Friday. "We are hoping this trend continues into next week and when we open up our additional three locations the week of Oct. 29."

The county has also issued 1,402 absentee by mail ballots to Bartow voters in the county, across the U.S. and abroad as of Friday.

"I never expected such large crowds for this election," Elections Supervisor Joseph Kirk added when asked if he expected a large turnout for this election cycle. "But, so far the process has run smoothly. I’ve got a great crew working for me, and they are doing a wonderful job keeping the line moving."

Kirk also said he hopes that trend of increased turnout will continue on Election Day, Nov. 6. For those who were wondering, the average wait time at the elections office has been between 15 and 30 minutes.

Early voting will continue Monday through Friday, Oct. 22-26 at Bartow County Voter Registration and Elections Office in Cartersville. Saturday voting will also be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 27 at the registration office.

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Early voting continues at the registration office and expands to the following locations Monday, Oct. 28 through Friday, Nov. 2:

• Allatoona Resource Center, 6503 Glade Road, Acworth
• Bartow County Voter Registration and Elections Office, 1300 Joe Frank Harris Parkway, Cartersville
• Cartersville Civic Center, 435 West Main Street, Cartersville
• Manning Mill Park, 163B Manning Mill Road, Adairsville

Voting hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the main registration office and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the three satellite locations.

No voting will be held Monday, Nov. 5, and all polls across Bartow County will open for Election Day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 6. If you are a traditionalist and plan to vote on Election Day, please note that you must vote at your assigned precinct location on Nov. 6.

You can check your voter registration card or visit the Georgia Secretary of State My Voter Page to view your precinct location. The SOS site also includes links to sample ballots for Bartow County voters, as does the local elections office website.

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