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Ann Keith, 79, and William Keith, 84, didn’t encounter any problems casting ballots during the first day of early voting in Georgia on Tuesday. The married couple was among many Black folks who traveled to the C.T. Martin Natatorium and Recreation Center in Adamsville to hit the polls ahead of Election Day.

“It was very easy,” said Ann, a retired Greyhound bus driver who lives in southwest Atlanta. “That’s one reason why I voted early, because I didn’t want to be in the chaos of standing in line and you can’t get water. You can’t do this and you can’t do that, so that’s why I’m here today.”

Black seniors like the Keiths could be seen filling parking lots and sidewalks outside multiple polling sites in southwest Atlanta on Tuesday. All of the older Black ballot casters who spoke with Capital B Atlanta said they voted for Vice President Kamala Harris in her presidential election matchup against former President Donald Trump.

They contributed to record turnout in Georgia on the first day of early voting, according to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s office.

“We are breaking the early vote turnout record for the first day of early voting by a lot,” spokesman Mike Hassinger told Capital B Atlanta on Tuesday afternoon. “It was 135,000 on [the] first day of early voting in 2020. It was 235,000 as of 3:30 p.m. today.”

Hassinger said it’s too soon to speculate on what’s driving the surge, but he noted that Trump and Harris’ respective supporters appear highly motivated to participate in this year’s election.

“People are also fired up on both sides,” Hassinger said. “This year we don’t have COVID impeding the normal processes.”

It’s unclear whether Harris or Trump will be the benefactor of Tuesday’s bar-raising turnout. Voting rights advocates have encouraged Black voters to take advantage of early voting opportunities to avoid long lines on Election Day next month and give themselves enough time to address any potential problems they may encounter at the ballot box prior to Nov. 5.

Democrats historically have been more likely to participate in early voting, but in recent years, Republicans have been doing so at higher rates. Trump has encouraged his supporters to participate in early voting while also criticizing it.

Live from the polls

Long lines weren’t a hindrance for any of the voters who spoke with Capital B Atlanta. Hassinger said statewide wait-time average was down to 58 seconds on Tuesday.

“It was awesome, less than five minutes,” Greenbriar resident Rosemary Ramble said of wait times at the Adams Park Library on Tuesday. The 78-year-old retired nurse also said she voted for Harris in part because she’s sick of Trump.

“We don’t need anyone like Trump boasting and acting crazy,” Ramble said.

Black people above the age of 65 are one of the Democratic Party’s most loyal voting blocs. They’re also much more dependable voters than their younger Black counterparts.

“They have a habit of seeing the world of politics in a way that makes it more difficult for them to be on the fence,” Morehouse College political science professor Adrienne Jones told Capital B Atlanta earlier this year.

Downtown Atlanta resident Michael Petty said he waited only “a few minutes” to cast his ballot for Harris at the Fulton County Government Center on Peachtree Street.

“They were extremely great up there,” the 62-year-old said of the facility’s poll workers. “They were very courteous, and it was just a very pleasurable experience.”

What you should know about early voting

It’s important to note that early voting locations are different from the assigned Election Day precincts where Georgians can vote on Nov. 5, or the locations where those who opt for mail-in voting can drop off ballots.

Early voting is scheduled to end on Nov 1. There are at least 37 early voting locations in Fulton County alone, according to the Fulton County government website. Polls will be open between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. at most locations.

State law requires Georgia voters to show a form of ID at the polls in order to cast their ballot.

Residents of Cobb County can click here to find their early voting sites.

Residents of DeKalb County can click here to find their early voting sites.

Residents of Fulton County can click here to find their early voting sites.

Residents of Gwinnett County can click here to find their early voting sites.