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ELECTION 2020: Early voting in Dawson County outpacing 2016 turnout
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At the close of business on Friday afternoon, 4,075 Dawson County voters had cast their ballot during early voting for the 2020 Presidential Election. 

With 930 votes cast on the first day of early voting, Monday, Oct. 12, voters doubled the turnout seen in 2016, according to Board of Elections and Voter Registration Director Glenda Ferguson. 

On Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, between 600 and 800 voters a day came out to the polls, continuing the increased voter trend seen on Monday.  


Despite the increased voter turnout, Ferguson said that wait times to vote have stayed around 10 to 20 minutes, and so far the elections office has only had a few small problems with the new touch screen systems, which were fixed within 30 minutes. 

“Everything has gone well,” She said. “Not a whole lot of hiccups.” 

Another trend they have seen so far, according to Ferguson, is in the number of voters who have brought in an absentee ballot to be destroyed so that the voter could cast their vote in-person. 

The office has collected and invalidated about 75 absentee ballots each day of early voting so far, so that local residents can vote in person.  

Ferguson said that anyone who has received an absentee ballot, but now wants to vote in person, can bring the absentee ballot to the Dawson County Board of Elections Office in downtown Dawsonville. 

Voting will take place Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and there will also be a Saturday voting day on Oct. 24 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Dawson County Board of Elections Office is located at 96 Academy Avenue in Dawsonville.

On Election Day, Nov. 3, all polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Those voting on Election Day will report to their assigned precinct. The Dawson County Precincts are: 

  • West: Dawson County Fire Station #6 at 2142 Hubbard Road, Dawsonville. 

  • Central: Dawson County Board of Elections and Registration Office at 96 Academy Avenue, Dawsonville. 

  • East: Dawson County EMS Station #2 at 145 Liberty Drive, Dawsonville. 

Absentee ballots can be returned to the red “absentee ballot drop box” at the Board of Elections and Voter Registration office at 96 Academy Avenue. This is currently the only ballot drop box in the county and is video monitored and emptied each day.

For more information on voting in Dawson County, visit the Board of Elections and Voter Registration website at https://www.dawsoncounty.org/elections or call (706) 344-3640.