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VERIFY: Does Houston Co. have a short early voting window for the runoff election?

Early voting for Georgia's runoff elections has officially begun in some parts of the state.

Early voting for Georgia's runoff elections has officially begun in some parts of the state.

For others, like in Houston County, the process took a little longer to get off the ground.

On Tuesday, Debbie Edmondson came to cast an early ballot at the Houston County Board of Elections but was turned away. She wasn't alone.

"I'm coming here to vote, but I just learned that it starts tomorrow," said Joaquina Robinson.

Andy Holland with the Board of Elections confirmed they're holding early voting "Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday."

In Bibb, Monroe, and Laurens counties, according to their board of elections websites, voters can cast an early ballot Monday through Friday of this week. (Peach County's site says they're holding early voting only on Thursday and Friday).

So we can verify Houston County does have a shorter early voting window than some other counties.

Holland says the late certification of the general election backed up his office.

"It did, I mean, in truth, it did and there's nothing that anybody could do about it," said Holland. "When a federal judge says you can't do something until 5:00 p.m., you can't do something until 5:00 p.m."

That was a problem because before an election board can hold early voting it needs to test the voting machines, and before they can do that, Georgia law says they must advertise the process in the county's legal organ, which is a local newspaper.

In Houston County, that created a challenge.

The legal organ, the Houston Home Journal, "only runs Wednesdays and Saturdays, so those are the only days [the advertisement] can be published."

But Holland says early voting will be open starting Wednesday morning starting at 8 a.m.

Many of those who were turned away Tuesday didn't seem to mind.

"Our ancestors fought for us to vote and I'm not going to sit around and not vote," said Robinson.

Three polling locations will be open early: the Houston Health pavilion, Central Georgia Technical College, and the Board of Elections in Perry.

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