More than 10,000 have voted early, as registration increases by 25% over 2004 numbers

The intense voter interest in the November General Election is being reflected in the unprecedented increase in registered voters — nearly 8,000 new voters have signed up in Fayette County since the July primaries just three months ago.

In addition, as of Monday, more than 10,000 residents have cast their ballots during early voting, said Fayette County Elections Department Supervisor Tom Sawyer.

“We’ve also sent out 2,800 absentee ballots, and received 900 of those back,” he added.

With record turnout predicted around the country, many residents are eschewing the long lines of Election Day and casting their ballots now.

The early voting continues at the Fayette County Elections Office only until Oct. 27, when three more locations open throughout the county for advanced voting, he added.

In addition to watching over the polls, Sawyer and his staff have been inundated with new registration forms.

“We literally get boxes every day from the Secretary of State’s office of new voter registration cards,” he said.

Sawyer estimated the number of registered voters in Fayette is now just over 76,000, which is a 25 percent jump from the 61,000 registered for the 2004 election.

In fact, the bulk of the new voters registered after the 2006 elections, at which time 62,498 were signed up to vote.

To further indicate the interest in this year’s Presidential election, nearly 8,000 have been added to the rolls since the July 15 primary this past summer, when there were just over 68,000 registered voters.

Fayette’s leap in new voters mirrors the trend across the state with adjacent Coweta County showing a 50 percent increase in its voter rolls.

Some national websites are already speculating who’s winning the Presidential race in Georgia by the early voting results, but Sawyer disputes those claims.

“Every night we seal those machines and unseal them in the morning. Those ballots won’t be counted until Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. when the rest of the day’s votes are tabulated,” Sawyer added.