Georgia polls have an average wait time of two minutes per voter across the entire state according the Georgia Secretary of State’s office, WABE News reporter Rahul Bali reported Tuesday.
Bali reported that the polls had maintained a two-minute wait time, and pointed to results as early as 7 p.m. EST, despite claims that Georgia’s voter laws are “suppressive.” In past elections, Georgia voters have reported voter suppression after waiting in long lines, but early voting and an updated voter information page seem to have brought wait times down.
When early voting opened for Georgia in October, record turnouts were reported with 434,567 Georgians casting their vote; however, Democratic challenger Stacey Abrams continued to criticize Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, claiming he was working to suppress voters. “It does not mean voter suppression doesn’t exist,” Abrams said during a rally. “But we’re stronger, better, and faster than it.” (RELATED: NBC Says ‘Voter ID Laws Disproportionately Impact Trans People’)
In 2021, Georgia passed a law ramping up the verification procedures for voters while also placing restrictions on absentee ballots, a move that received criticism from many Democratic leaders including President Joe Biden who called the law “Jim Crow in the 21st century.”
The law requires absentee drop boxes to be placed in each of Georgia’s 159 counties, but limits the number of drop boxes each county can have, while also mandating that the boxes be located in approved election locations. The law also makes photos ID and a signature matching a requirement.
Georgia Votes 2022: Update from Gabe Sterling with the Georgia Secretary of State’s office
– Statewide average wait time for voting is 2 minutes.
– High usage of https://t.co/qxTSFIa53P, where you can find your voting location.
(Tweet 1/3) #gapol pic.twitter.com/H3jhca3bfb
— Rahul Bali (@rahulbali) November 8, 2022
In response to the law, the Biden administration filed a legal challenge in June of 2021 under the belief the the law was “racially discriminatory.”
Kemp defeated Abrams in the 2018 Georgia gubernatorial election, leading Abrams to file a lawsuit alleging Kemp had worked to suppress voters. This year, the candidates rekindled the controversy, sparring over the alleged “Jim Crow 2.0” election integrity law during their October debate, while also touching on upward mobility, education and crime.
Kemp has tracked above Abrams throughout the race with an aggregated FiveThirtyEight poll placing the incumbent 7.5% ahead on Monday.
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