Early in-person voting starts in Muscogee County

COLUMBUS, Ga. ( WRBL ) — Early in-person voting has begun across Georgia and right here in Muscogee County on Tuesday morning. The presidential race between Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump is a key component of the ballot.

In the first thirty minutes, there were over 200 ballots cast in Columbus.

At the City Services Center off Macon Road, lines formed early as about 100 people waited for the polls to open at 7 a.m.

In the first three hours of voting at the three advance locations – City Services Building, Columbus Tech, Shirley Winston Recreation Center – 1,384 people voted, Director of Elections and Registration Nancy Boren said.

There are about 120,00 active registered voters in Muscogee County.

Sixty-five-year-old veteran Marvin Broadwater Sr. was one of the first in line, as he commonly is when it comes to local elections. Seventy-eight-year-old veteran Veteran Neil Hotard was also among the first in line.

We asked these two military men – one Army and one Navy — about the importance of voting.

“People have fought for my right to vote. The very least that I can do is get up at 2:30 in the morning, get here by 4 a.m. to attempt to be the first one in line,” said Broadwater. “I’ve been doing this for about 20 years now and it’s tradition for me. It’s historic for me. So when I do it, I think about those that came before me.”

“I’ve always thought about the importance of the vote because I think it was instilled in me by my father,” said Hotard. “He always talked about how important it was to vote, and he always voted. My father was originally from Louisiana, but he had settled in Columbus years ago.”

Early voting runs through Nov. 1 here in Muscogee County. The polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day, including weekends. Locations include the City Services Center, Columbus Technical College and Shirley Winston Recreation Center

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