Cobb Elections adds early voting locations for Senate runoffs

Editor's Note voting and citizenship

Cobb Elections said Wednesday it is adding locations for early voting for the U.S. Senate runoffs and making some other changes as voters can cast their ballots in person as early as Monday.

The Art Place-Mountain View in East Cobb and the Smyrna Community Center are being added as early voting locations during the third week of early voting (Dec. 28-31). Another early voting location, the Ward Recreation Center in Powder Springs, will be moved to the Ron Anderson Community Center, also in Powder Springs.

County spokesman Ross Cavitt said in a statement issued Wednesday afternoon that Cobb Elections “will quickly start training poll managers to handle the additional locations.”

Cobb Elections had set up five early voting locations for the runoffs, including the East Cobb Government Service Center, after having 11 sites ahead of the Nov. 3 general election.

The changes come after voting access groups demanded that Cobb open more early voting locations, especially in African-American and Hispanic communities.

On Wednesday morning, before Cobb announced the additions, Nsé Ufot, Chief Executive Officer of The New Georgia Project, issued a statement saying that Cobb’s smaller number of early voting locations for the runoffs “is an affront to voters of color, plain and simple. It risks disenfranchising voters of color living in neighborhoods with limited to no public transit.”

“And as cases of COVID-19 rise across the state, this decision makes it more difficult for voters to cast their ballot safely.”

During the general election early voting period, Cobb also added locations after heavy turnout, going from nine to 11 sites.

Cobb Elections director Janine Eveler said in the county statement that staffing issues were the reason for fewer runoff early voting sites. Staffers have been working long hours doing recounts and some were reluctant to work over the holidays.

“Between COVID, the workload, and the holidays, we have simply run out of people,” Eveler said. “Many workers told us they spent three weeks working 14- or 15-hour days and they will not do that again. We simply don’t have time to bring in and train up more workers to staff the number of locations we had for November.”

Both of Georgia’s U.S. Senate races are on the ballot for the Jan. 5 runoffs. Republican Sen. David Perdue edged Democrat Jon Ossoff in the general election but couldn’t get a majority.

Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler finished second in a jungle primary to Democrat Raphael Warnock in a special election to fill the remaining two years of former Sen. Johnny Isakson’s term.

Party control of the U.S. Senate also is on the line in the runoffs, which have drawn heightened national media attention and campaign contributions.

The runoffs also come after a bruising presidential recount process in Georgia. Democrat Joe Biden was recertified as the winner of the state’s 16 electoral votes, although supporters of Republican President Donald Trump continue to claim election fraud.

Perdue and Loeffler are supporting lawsuits filed by the Texas Attorney General challenging election results in several states, including Georgia, before the Electoral College is slated to meet on Monday.

Also on the Georgia ballot is a runoff for a seat on the Public Service Commission between Republican incumbent Bubba McDonald and Democrat Daniel Blackman.

You can apply for an absentee ballot at the Georgia Secretary of State’s website.

The county said all 16 absentee ballot drop boxes that were used for the general election will be open for the runoffs. They include the East Cobb Government Service Center, Mountain View Regional Library, Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center and Gritters Library in East Cobb.

For early voting locations and hours click here.