First day of early voting brings flow of voters to Savannah Civic Center

Gun Rights

Liberty Street medians outside the Savannah Civic Center were host to signs of the times Tuesday as early voting kicked off in Georgia.

Dozens of campaign signs for candidates up for local, state and national office were scattered throughout the green grass while yards away, a steady flow of voters filed into the Civic Center’s Mason Room to cast their ballots in the Nov. 5 general election.

As of 4 p.m. Tuesday, nearly 252,000 votes had been cast statewide, according to a post on X from Georgia Secretary of State Chief Operating Officer Gabriel Sterling. The previous first-day record was 136,000 in 2020, according to another post on X by Sterling.

The Savannah Morning News requested a tally for Chatham County from the Board of Registrar’s office but did not receive a response by publication time.

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The record stream of early voters comes as the top of the ticket features a hotly contested presidential race between Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican nominee former President Donald Trump. Both candidates have held campaign events in Savannah this election cycle. Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff is scheduled to visit Savannah for an early voting event on Thursday, and Trump will return to the city next week for a Second Amendment meeting hosted by the National Rifle Association.

The Savannah Civic Center is one of seven early voting locations in the county this year, a record number that was expanded in anticipation of increased turnout, Board of Registrars Chairman Colin McRae said at a press conference in late September.

“We expect pretty robust early voting turnout in the lead up to the Nov. 5 election,” McRae predicted at that press conference.

How to early vote Chatham County election dates: How to vote early, registration deadline and more

Included in the steady flow of voters at the Civic Center was the launch of a get-out-the-vote effort by the local chapter of the Georgia Coalition for the People’s Agenda. The local chapter gathered people at noon and again at 4 p.m.; about 20 people showed during the 12 p.m. gathering. The People’s Agenda organized statewide Tuesday and partnered with other groups.

Participants donned matching brown “overload the polls” t-shirts that pictured a set of shoes resembling high-top Converse Chuck Taylors. Carry Smith, coastal Georgia regional director for the People’s Agenda, was leading the group and donned a pair of shoes that matched the shirt.

“It’s very important to encourage people not to wait, but to get out and vote when there is full-time staff,” Smith said.

Joining Smith and others were about a dozen members of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority who wore matching black shirts reading ‘VOTE” in green letters with a raised fist as the letter I. Sorority member Kim Dubois said the group has been organizing voter mobilization efforts such as registering voters and conducting registration education for the last four months.

Another member, Stacy Michael, said showing up on the first day of voting was about being an example of their mobilization efforts.

“We’re setting the example. We’re out here,” Michael said. “It’s the first day and we want them to know we’re not just talking about it. We’re doing something about it.”

Voters outside the Civic Center Tuesday said poll workers were extremely positive and made the experience more enjoyable. There were voters ranging from Savannah College of Art and Design students to Michael’s 99-year-old grandmother, Michael said.

Included in the flow of voters Tuesday was the Wilsted family, where daughter Faith Wilsted voted in her first presidential election. Faith Wilsted said she was extremely excited to vote, and the day was something she talked to her friends about in anticipation, she said.

Parents Jeff and Deanne Wilsted joined to make the first day of early voting a family affair. Deanne Wilsted said the group made a specific choice to vote Tuesday amid a busy schedule, and a smooth voting experience helped make the day great.

“It felt really good to be able to do it together,” Deanne Wilsted said.

Evan Lasseter is the city and county government reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at ELasseter@gannett.com.

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