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Two new Atlanta polling sites for early voters
Thousands of Atlanta residents can now to go either the Fulton County Government Center or Flipper Temple AME Church to vote early in the 2024 presidential election. It comes after Central United Methodist's Rev. Dr. Brian Tillman discovered there were no early voting sites with a close proximity to the Atlanta University Center.
ATLANTA - Fulton County election officials made a huge adjustment and added two advance voting sites in Georgia's most populous county.
An Atlanta pastor recently noticed that there were no full-time advance voting sites in Atlanta's poorest zip code: 30314.
Rev. Brian Tillman says voting is important to him, so he decided to go public with his observation.
"I just wanted to make sure the people in the area of our church and that community have the same access to the ballot box through early voting as others," Rev. Tillman said.
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The Central United Methodist senior pastor recently made a troubling discovery about early voting.
When he plotted Fulton County's 35 early voting sites, he discovered the area where his church is, 30314, in close proximity to the Atlanta University Center, had none.
"Once we made contact with [Fulton County Commission Chair] Robb Pitts, I think they saw what we saw. I think it was an oversight and showing them the map and seeing that big gap, especially for voters who rely on mass transit," Rev Tillman asserted.
Pitts and election officials made the change.
"I then talked with our elections people, and brought it to their attention that maybe here is an area we need to take a second look at. We did, and we have, and we have now decided to have an early voting precinct to cover that area at Flipper Temple and also a second site here at the government center," Pitts said.
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So, the 10,000 students at the AUC and many other residents who don't own cars but live in 30314, will have options that are now within reach.
"It will probably result in more people coming out to vote, so it's an enormous impact," Tillman explained.
The two sites will be bonafide early voting locations that open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m., beginning Oct. 15.