Clogged parking lot poses problems at voting precinct

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Voters faced with a clogged parking lot at a DeKalb County voting precinct left without casting ballots, but the lot has since cleared.

DeKalb Director of Elections Maxine Daniels confirmed there were problems at the Smokerise Precinct on Old Stone Mountain Road. Tuesday marked one of the biggest elections in Georgia's history, with the state's controversial transportation referendum on the line.

The referendum, also known as TSPLOST, would provide more than $7 billion worth of road, rail and bus projects. DeKalb voters are also deciding on whether to create a new city, to be called either Brookhaven or Ashford. It would be the largest municipality in the county.

The county uses the Mt. Carmel Christian Church as a voting site, but the church also contracted with the DeKalb Board of Education to use the church for school bus driver certification Tuesday morning.  The result was that some voters could not find a place to park and did not vote.

But Daniels said the problem has since been resolved.

"Everything is clear now. The parking lot if wide open, and it's OK to go back and vote," Daniels told Channel 2's Richard Belcher.

WSBTV