Early voting begins in Georgia with long lines, high turnout

2020 ELECTION
Early voting begins in Georgia with long lines, high turnout
Race is one of the strongest predictors of how long a person waits in line to vote, research shows.
Image: Voters line up to cast their ballots for the upcoming presidential elections in Atlanta
Voters line up to cast their ballots for the upcoming presidential elections in Atlanta on Oct. 12, 2020.Chris Aluka Berry / Reuters
Oct. 12, 2020, 3:06 PM CDT
By Dareh Gregorian, Matteo Moschella and Jane C. Timm
Early voting kicked off in Georgia on Monday with hourslong waits at some polling locations amid what election officials said was a record high turnout.

Kathleen Campbell, 31, was at her polling place, Atlanta's High Museum of Art, around 8:10 a.m. ET. It took more than 2 hours to work her way to the front of the line, she said, speaking to NBC News by phone around 11 a.m. as she was about to be allowed in to cast her ballot.

"I have voted before, always in person and I’ve never waited this long which I’m hoping is actually a good sign for this year’s election turnout," Campbell said. "I’m feeling really optimistic at how seriously people are going to take this election."

"Everyone is patiently waiting to get to the polls inside and I don’t think I’ve seen one person without a mask on," she added.