Local

Senior voters upset about poll location change for special election early voting

ATLANTA — Some voters in South Fulton said they are angry the county closed their polling precinct just days before early voting begins Monday.

Fulton County called a special election to fill the seat of Commissioner Emma Darnell, who died in May. The special election is also for the board of education race.

Residents who normally vote at the C.T. Martin Center found out they will have to vote at other locations. One is almost eight miles away and requires a drive of about 20 minutes.

Channel 2's Steve Gehlbach was there as protestors took to the sidewalk on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive Wednesday morning to voice their frustrations.

The neighbors are upset about the commute, especially the seniors who have to find other forms of transportation.

"I think it's ridiculous," said 87-year-old Telena Saxton, who voted at the center for years. "It's convenient and everything because I live about three blocks down."

TRENDING STORIES:

A county spokesperson told Channel 2 Action News the center doesn't actually sit in either the commission or board of education district.

"Never been an issue before. All of sudden now it's an issue," said District 6 candidate Khadijah Abdur-Rahman, who was at the protest.

"This is politics at the worst. Done to disenfranchise not just my base, but also disenfranchise the seniors and disabled that have been coming here for years," she said.

If the C.T. Martin Center can't be open, the protesters said they would like another nearby recreation center or library to be open.

Early voters now have to travel about 14 miles to the south government center, even farther to Fairburn or the main government complex in downtown Atlanta.

The protesters said the locations are hard to get to dealing with traffic, parking and accessibility.

Anyone can vote at their normal precinct on Sept. 17, the actual election day. But for some, that's not good enough.

“Early access, early voting is supposed to be easy. Why is it being made hard?" Abdur-Rahman said.