Democratic candidate for attorney general, Georgia State Senator Jen Jordan voted with family at the Dorothy C. Benson Senior Multipurpose Complex in Sandy Springs Monday afternoon.
The senator, currently representing Georgia’s sixth district, appeared with her husband, 17-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter to cast her vote on the first day of the state’s early voting period.
The line was stretched along the side of the complex when the senator arrived, with poll workers slowly, yet steadily, ushering in two and three voters at a time. Cars routinely pulled underneath the building’s attached carport, dropping off and picking up elderly voters who couldn’t wait in line on foot.
The senator and her family endured an hour-long wait before entering the designated voting space.
In a quick conversation after she and her husband returned from voting, Jordan said she was excited to see so many Georgians make an effort to cast their votes, especially those suffering from disabilities and physical limitations. She also said Georgians should take advantage of the opportunity to vote early, since unexpected emergencies can prevent voters from casting ballots at all.
“You basically bank your vote [by voting early],” Jordan said. “You know it’s in. You know it’s going to get counted. And that’s so incredibly important this year.”
Although her children aren’t yet old enough to vote, Jordan said it was important for her entire family to join her at the polls, since they all offered her support as she developed her political campaign.
“They’re part of this campaign,” she said. “This being what we’ve been working toward for so long, it was very important for them to be here.”
The Benson Center is one of several metro Atlanta polling locations where voters can cast their ballots early. Hours of operation for polls differ within each Georgia county, but most locations open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. on weekdays with alternate scheduling on Saturdays and Sundays. Check the Secretary of State’s My Voter Page website to access a complete list of locations for early voting polling sites and absentee ballot drop-off boxes in your respective county.
Early voting wraps up statewide on November 4.