Columbia County residents joined many citizens as they cast their ballots on Election Day.
Columbia County voter experiences and thoughts
Impact of early voting
Voter Jennifer Seigler said she was told at her polling location, the Columbia County Board of Education building, that around 60% of Columbia County voters participated in early voting, which could have contributed to shorter wait times on Tuesday.
“It made it quick for us,” she said about how early voting impacted her experience on Tuesday. “Yeah, it was simple.”
She said that the most important thing people should consider when participating in presidential elections is to choose the candidate that you feel genuinely aligned with.
“Vote what your gut really feels…go with what you really believe,” she said. “That’s why we vote.”
MORE: Columbia County voters approval E-SPLOST renewal
Returning to the polls
An anonymous voter outside of the Blanchard Park polling location said that she hasn’t voted in a presidential election for years; she recalled that the last time she cast her vote, it was with a paper ballot and pen.
“It’s been a minute,” she said.
She also said that she was pleasantly surprised that she didn’t have to beat large lines of voters.
“It was really great, I just walked in, didn’t have to really think about it too much…I’ve waited longer at the bank than I did here,” she said.
This voter shared her concerns that both Trump and Harris evaded answering critical questions about their policies, particularly during the presidential debate on Tuesday, Sept. 10.
“I think that they should spend more time answering the questions instead of avoiding it, but I think that’s most politicians, that they don’t really want to answer the questions ‘cause I don’t think they actually have the answers,” she said.
MORE: Voting goes smoothly for eager Richmond County voters
Criticism around Harris’s nomination
Voter Elise Yates said at the Columbia County Department of Health polling location, that she believes not enough information was given about precincts beforehand, leading her to be turned away from the first polling location she stopped at, which was the closest to her home.
“I didn’t even know that there was a specific voting place that I was supposed to go to…this was a little bit out of the way, but it was quick after that,” she said. “Last time I voted, I just went to the closest place to me…it doesn’t seem like there was a lot of information given ahead of time.”
She added that she didn’t approve of the way Harris was raised as candidate for the election.
“I think some things weren’t exactly protocol, I mean, Harris wasn’t exactly voted in, she was just put in place of Biden, you know, so that was a little bit off of the way things are supposed to go.”
