The turnout for early voting has been lower than what officials likely expected for local balloting in 2023, but there’s still a chance to help increase those figures by heading to the polls before early voting ends on Friday.

The final day of early voting comes on November 3 and the last chance to cast a ballot will come before 5 p.m. on late Friday afternoon.

So far, the Board of Elections has posted only 186 ballots cast since mid-October at the Cedartown precinct, and 270 in Rockmart. That brings the total to just 456 people who have visited the polls since they opened on October 16.

That included two Saturday voting periods on Oct. 21 and Oct. 28.

Only 36 paper ballots have gone out in total, with 26 having been sent back in and accepted, and five which were rejected. Another four are still waiting to be mailed in as of Wednesday night.

Turnout to the new precinct in Cedartown at the Goodyear Civic Center on Prior Street may be lower than normal for an election year since both of the Commission candidates in city elections this year are running unopposed. Despite that, there is a countywide initiative to extend the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax collections past the 2026 deadline and onward to 2032.

Rockmart’s turnout is higher in part due to the ballot including a mayor’s race in Rockmart and a several candidates on the ballot in Aragon city races.

Election Day is coming up on Nov. 7. Unsure of your registration status? Click here to find out on the Secretary of State’s website.