COVINGTON, Ga. — Newton County voters lined up by the hundreds to cast ballots today, Oct. 12, on the first day of Georgia’s advance voting period in the General Election.

Voters began lining up outside the Newton County Administration Building well before the 8 a.m. opening time to cast ballots on 16 machines in the county elections office.

The line at times ran an estimated three-tenths of a mile and made a complete circle around the building on Usher Street, a block north of the Covington Square.

Phil Johnson, chairman of the county elections board, said the elections office could only get 16 machines in its available space because of the need to maintain social distancing due to COVID-19 safety concerns.

“We, like everywhere in the state, had overwhelming turnout,” Johnson said.

At points during the day the line of voters began along Pace Street near Stallings Street; ran south alongside the administration building to Usher Street; turned east along Usher Street and ran the length of the front of the administration building.

It then turned north and ran the length of the building along Elm Street before snaking around to the building’s rear door. 

Among those waiting in line Monday morning was County Commissioner J.C. Henderson and his neighbor, James Lindsay.

Lindsay, 73, said he chose to cast a ballot in person during the advance voting period rather than on Election Day on Nov. 3 “because I may have something to do that day.”

He added he wanted to make sure to vote in the General Election “because of the way things are going on in the country.”

“We need a good man in office,” Lindsay said.

Cindy Franklin said she wanted to vote in-person rather than trusting her ballot to the U.S. Mail.

Her husband, Pastor Mike Franklin of Solid Rock Baptist Church, also said he was “not comfortable with mail-in voting.”

He said he and his wife chose to stand in line for advance voting because he expected to wait in line longer at his assigned voting precinct on Election Day Nov. 3 than the two hours he spent there during the Primary Election in June.

Mike Franklin added it was important to vote in this election because of the candidates’ stands on the issues.

“We’re at a crossroads in our democracy,” he said.

Mrs. Franklin said she felt it was important to cast a General Election ballot because of some candidates’ backing of a type of governing she did not support.

“I do not want to lose a lot of my freedoms to socialism,” she said.

Kristie Petree of Covington waited almost two hours in line with her handicapped husband before voting. 

She said she wanted to vote early but, also, chose in-person voting rather than using an absentee ballot because she did not believe the U.S. Postal Service was capable of delivering her ballot on time.

“I do not trust mail-in voting,” she said. “I want my vote to count.”

Mia Johnson and daughter, Jocelyn, 10, waited in line near the Franklins along Pace Street. 

She said she was it was worth the time spent waiting in line to help “teach my daughter the importance of voting.”

“We’re here to do our civic duty,” she said.