Another big jump in early voting – not quite the tally of Day One, but another impressive increase nonetheless – got Polk County to nearly 10% of its registered voters already having cast a ballot before the November 3 election.

With 979 new votes cast today, Polk County’s tally increased to 2,008 ballots already in for counting starting after polls close on Election Day on the first Tuesday of November.

Broken down between the two precincts, Cedartown had 508 voters show up at the Board of Elections, and 471 in Rockmart. That is the second day in a row of big crowds, and is around 7% of the 25,000+ registered voters who are able to cast a ballot in the 2020 Election.

Read more about who is on the ballot here.

Early voting continues on Wednesday morning 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at both locations, a schedule that continues through close of business on Friday and through October 19 through Oct. 23. Those are located at 605 Goodyear Ave., Rockmart at the Nathan Dean Community Center, or at the Board of Elections office at the County Administration building at 144 West Ave., Cedartown.

A Saturday voting day at both the Cedartown and Rockmart precincts will be available from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on October 24, and extended hours until 7 p.m. will be available on Tuesday and Thursday, October 27 and October 29, during the final week of early voting. For those planning to early vote, be sure to have your driver’s license with you as proof of identification, or another form of Photo ID approved by the state, like a U.S. Passport.

The final week of early voting’s other three days will hold a regular 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. schedule. October 30 closes out early voting ahead of the November 3 election completely.

Social distancing guidelines are in place to keep people from bunching up together, and touchscreens are being cleaned by elections personnel between uses.

Absentee ballots can be requested from the Board of Elections office. Call 770-749-2103 for more information. People can track their ballot at www.mvp.sos.ga.gov or call the Board of Elections to request an update. Anyone who requests a ballot and decides they want to vote in person can surrender the ballot, and cast their vote early or at their precinct on November 3, but they should be aware than an additional process is involved with that option.

Note that trying to cast an absentee ballot by mailing it in before the deadline, then voting in person is illegal and is punishable by a felony charge that carries stiff penalties.

All absentee ballots must be returned before 7 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3 to be counted.