The number of voters utilizing early voting and absentee ballots continues to grow in Polk County ahead of Election Day on November 3 as record numbers continue for both precincts in Cedartown and Rockmart.

Brande Coggins with the Board of Elections reported that another 444 voters who came into the office in Cedartown, and another 328 voted in Rockmart on the day, which together increased the number of early ballots cast to 3,611 since the Board of Elections opened precincts on Monday.

The overall total does not include the 1,567 absentee ballots returned to the Board of Elections as well since those have been available as well. That brings the complete total to 5,178 votes cast so far that will be available for counting following the closure of polls on Election Day at 7 p.m.

Out of the more than 25,000 voters who are registered in the county to participate in this election, that bring the tally to over 20% of the vote cast ahead of the 2020 Election.

Early voting continues tomorrow morning on schedule at both the Cedartown and Rockmart precincts at 9 a.m. and remains open until 5 p.m., and that schedule remains in place Monday through Friday next week.

The pair of precincts for Early Voting 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.