3 issues that have plagued Georgia's primary voting

(Image credit: Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images)

published 9 June 2020

Georgia's primary, which began early Tuesday, has not gone smoothly. And that's putting it gently.

The issues started immediately in some counties when voting equipment reportedly malfunctioned.

Earlier, some state officials maintained the machines were just experiencing minor errors, but even if that's the case, they've acknowledged equipment was delivered either late or to the wrong location.

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Technical difficulties weren't the only issue, either. At one polling station, a staffer was reportedly being trained on the spot; other stations were reportedly understaffed.

All told, the mishaps have led to people waiting in long lines for hours. Many folks waited it out, but some gave up. Regardless, accusations of voter suppression were made, and there have been calls for election officials to resign and for an extension of voting hours. An investigation into the issues has been opened in Fulton and DeKalb counties, the first and fourth most populous counties in the state, respectively.

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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.