LIVE BLOG: Bibb County releases early voting results

After months of debates, rallies and an avalanche of campaign ads, text alerts and mailers, Election Day is finally here.

Polls across Georgia are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Bibb County voters have to decide between candidates in several U.S. and state house races, as well as the presidential race and three state ballot questions.

Updates from polling places across Macon

9:30 p.m. — Mercer students meet to watch early election results roll in

Mercer Votes, a student organization on Mercer University’s campus that works to register students to vote, and the university’s political science department hosted an election night watch party in the university’s student center. The meeting attracted about 70 or 80 students, largely with offers of food and extra credit for those who attended. 

The gathering started with a speech from Mercer’s associate professor of political science, Benjamin Hoyt, who asked that students respect their schoolmates and have patience with the incoming votes. 

“Don’t become despondent or ecstatic over a three percent difference in Georgia,” Hoyt said. 

Brenden Kelley, a sophomore studying international affairs and global development at Mercer, said that he didn’t believe he could predict the result just yet but that he hoped Kamala Harris would win. Kelley added that he worked for Rep. Brian Strickland, a Republican, in Georgia’s General Assembly during summer 2023. 

He said that what swayed his vote towards Harris was his interest in the United States’ standing in the world as “a key player in many international institutions” like the United Nations, to which Kelley said the United States was reluctant to pay dues. 

Spencer Degonia, 21, studies law and public policy at Mercer. This was his second time voting after placing his first ballot in 2022’s governor race. 

Degonia, who voted for Harris, said he was somewhat reluctant to support her because he does not agree with many of her policies surrounding increased tax cuts. These, he said, are poor fiscal policy, but her “predictability” as a politician is what set her apart from Republican nominee Donald Trump.

“There is a certain quality about him some people feel projects a strong image, but I feel that foreign policy is made irregular and unpredictable around him, whereas a traditional politician might establish a treaty to prevent a war,” Degonia said.

—Gabriel Kopp / Reg Murphy Center for Collaborative Journalism

9 p.m. — Bibb County releases some early votes

Check updated early voting totals here.

8:15 p.m. — Bibb County hasn’t reported early voting totals to state

According to GPB’s Grant Blankenship, who is at the Bibb County Election Board, Kamala Harris has 26,994 votes to Donald Trump’s 17,905 in early voting in Macon.

7 p.m. — Polling places close across Georgia

Polling places have closed and precincts across the Peach State will begin tallying absentee and advanced votes.

6:03 p.m. — Tabernacle Baptist Church

State house candidate Noah Harbuck was stationed outside the entrance to Tabernacle Baptist Church Tuesday evening. Harbuck, a Republican is a first time candidate running against Tangie Herring in District 145, which covers parts of western Bibb and parts of Monroe County.

Harbuck had a big sign in the back of his trucks and waved at folks as they drove in to vote. He was at the church early this morning before driving to Forsyth and then coming back. His main priority at the state house will be driving down insurance costs.

“Insurance is state specific and if we can get down you can have a little bit more money going to the grocery store.”

As of numbers posted at 5 p.m., 767 people have cast their votes at Tabernacle Baptist Church.

Bobby Whitaker, 47, said he came to pick Trump, the “lesser of two evils.”

Darlene Parker, 61, came to vote with her son, Jacob. Both voted for Trump.

Darlene said she prefers to vote on election day to know that her ballot made it in.

“Trump is hard-nosed at times, he’s the kind of person to get us back on track,” she said.

Kentravious Hart, 23, voted for his second time. He said he voted for Trump because he will provide a better state of living for the poor.

— Casey Choung

4-5 p.m. — Lutheran Church of the Redeemer on Pierce Avenue

Lutheran Church of the Redeemer saw a steady voter turnout throughout the day, with the first couple of morning hours being the busiest, precinct manager Alex Pietrzak told The Melody.

“Early voting took the pressure off us a bit,” he said, noting that 461 voters had come through Lutheran Church by 4 p.m.

The number of voters is expected to increase as folks get off of work for the evening. 

AJ Johnson, 47, came to Lutheran Church to vote right after work. Johnson, a teacher, said the voting process took about five minutes and she voted for the candidate who she believes will provide the most responsible leadership for all, not just 1% of the population. 

Despite being unfamiliar with the voting technology, Arthur Russo, 63, told The Melody that casting his ballot went smoothly.

Inflation rates and high rent are major concerns for Russo. 

“That takes food out of the average person working at minimum wage,” he said. “How can he feed his family, and put a roof over their heads?” 

Mishay Bingham, 41, said her top priorities as a voter are Donald Trump, America and God. 

—Evelyn Davidson

2 p.m. — Greater Bellevue Baptist Church on Mumford Road

More than 400 voters had cast their ballots at the church near the Napier area of Macon by 2 p.m. Tuesday afternoon, a poll worker told The Melody.

—Jason Vorhees

Beulah Baptist Church on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, morning

Mary Woodard was among the first to vote at Beulah Missionary Baptist Church in South Macon.

“People are crossing who they normally vote for. I’m worried about women’s rights, the right to bear arms, the right freedom of speech. All of that is possibly taken away.”

Jonathan and Paige Descombes said they got married during the pandemic and have only known struggle to pay the bills since. “I know when we lived during Trump’s presidency, everything was much lower. Groceries were lower. Gas was lower. So I’m just hoping to see that come down,’ Paige Descombes said.

Leah Bailey of Macon said she voted to protect her Social Security payments.

“I am disabled. Certain presidential candidates I don’t feel like are going to keep my benefits in their, you know, top objective right now. Like that’s what I’m living off of. I can’t risk it right now.”

Brian Anglin was the first person to vote at Beulah Missionary Baptist Church Tuesday.  

“I’m going to work. That’s why I’m here at 7:00, because I have to be at work at 7:30,” Anglin said.  “I want to see our border fixed. It looks like we’ve got a flood of illegal immigrants coming into this country undocumented. And that’s causing a lot of issues with jobs and crime and everything else in this world.”

Marion Simmons voted for Kamala Harris at Bruce Elementary in south Macon.

“We need a good leader. Someone who’s going to take care of us. Not themself,” Simmons said. “Donald Trump, he want to take care of himself.”

—Grant Blankenship

Difficulties finding correct polling places

Most voters The Melody spoke with reported the voting process was quick and easy, but some voters are showing up at the wrong polling place. 

When Maria Roberts went to vote at Covenant Life Cathedral on Bloomfield Road this morning, she was told she’d come to the wrong polling place and would need to go to a poll in Vineville to cast her ballot.

The address on her voter registration file did not match her current address as listed on her Georgia driver’s license. 

“It kind of was discouraging,” said Roberts, who went to vote with her 28-year-old son for an election she says will be historic.

Poll workers told her she was registered to vote at an address on Pursley Street, but “I haven’t lived there for years,” she said.

In fact, the 48-year-old doesn’t currently have a fixed address because she is living out of her car.

Roberts worries about voting in the future and barriers other people who are unhoused might face when showing up to the polls.

“Look how many people who are able bodied that may be homeless that can’t vote because of an address,” she said. 

Affordable housing is the most important issue for Roberts, who says the rent she once paid for the house on Pursley Street climbed from $750 to $1,000 over a period of only a few years.

“The rent is sky high right now,” she said.  

Roberts said her son offered to drive her to the poll in Vineville so she was able to cast her ballot. 

“They were happy that I was there,” she said of the poll workers. “They had candy to give people and stuff like that so it was fine. You know, they helped me through it.”

—Laura Corley

Noon to 1 p.m. — Fall Line Church on Rocky Creek Road

Voters at the Fall Line Church location were greeted by local voting advocates waving signs and serving hot dogs.

Members of the Helping Others Foundation, Black Voters Matter and HOP came out to make sure folks exercise their right to vote.

“Everybody’s hyped up,” said Kim White, director of the Helping Others Foundation of Georgia.

Poll workers had counted 292 voters as of 11 a.m. A minor printer problem took place earlier in the day but was resolved.

Jamaral Tard, 43, said compared to the 2022 primary, the process for voting was faster.

He said he was conflicted as to who to vote for coming in, but ultimately came for “the principle of voting.”

Andrea Knight, 45, said she came to make sure there is “no Trump in the White House.”

“It’s not about [Kamala Harris] being a black woman, it’s about the greater evil,” she said.

Mike Kaplan, a member of the Bibb County Board of Elections visiting the polling place, said they’ve seen steady turnout so far.

He said the biggest question is seeing where the difference of 5,000 fewer early voters, between in-person early voting and absentee voting, will present itself.

—Casey Choung

11 a.m. to noon — Covenant Life Cathedral on Bloomfield Road

By 11 a.m. a little over 200 voters had cast their ballots at Covenant Life Cathedral on Bloomfield Road, according to a poll worker. 

Community members of all ages flowed in and out of the polling location — some relatively young voters, others with more experience under their belts.

Today was Yorri Eason’s, 21, second time voting and she hopes more young Black folks go out and vote. 

“I see what could happen if Donald Trump is elected and I don’t want that to happen,” Caleb Collier, 24, said.

He noted that neither party is perfect, but his priorities are affordable living and groceries and raising the minimum wage. 

Antionette Hightower, 47, told The Melody that she hadn’t voted since 2000 but voted in this election because of the need for change.

“I just want everybody to treat everybody fair,” Hightower said. 

Syndi Bradley came to vote at Covenant Life with her parents and young son, who wore a Georgia peach voter sticker. Bradley hopes her vote will enact change and make a difference. 

She was grateful to see a Bibb County sheriff’s deputy posted just outside the voting exit, providing her with a sense of safety in the community. 

“Everywhere I’ve ever been, has been very quiet,” Lt. Richard Senter of the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office said. He explained that deputies are sent to every polling location as a  deterrent to any type of “nonsense.” 

Lynda Hammock, 72, chose to vote today at Covenant Life because she said there’s never a long wait.  

Her concerns as a voter are the same as “everybody else,” she told The Melody, including high prices and concerns of wars. 

Official poll watcher Sam Skinner, 72, came from Atlanta and has been at Covenant since 6:15 a.m. this morning. Skinner said he was the only democrat poll watcher at this location, but he enjoyed conversing with the other volunteer poll watchers. 

“I think it’s important for people to reach across lines,” he said.

—Evelyn Davidson

Problems getting to the right voting locations

Folks are showing up at the wrong polling places in Macon. Poll managers say they’re redirecting those voters to the correct poll, but starting at 5:30 p.m., they’ll offer a provisional ballot as voters might not have enough time to make it to the proper poll by 7 p.m.

—Laura Corley

Getting assistance in the voting booth

One man, Travis Starlings, said he drove his mom to her polling place at Beulahland Bible Church at 1010 Newberg Ave. earlier today. He waited in the car for her, and after it had been taking too long, he went in to go check on her.

Starlings found his mother with her face close up to the screen, unable to read the ballot. After a brief back and forth with a poll worker, he was able to help her successfully cast her ballot, but Starlings and an NAACP poll watcher said it was an unnecessary hassle.

Georgia law requires polling places to be fully accessible and staff workers who are trained to take care of the needs of all voters, according to the Secretary of State’s website. Voters are obligated to get help if they are unable to sign their name, unable to see or mark the ballot, operate voting equipment or enter the voting booth without assistance.

Upon arrival, those needing assistance must give the poll worker the name of the person assisting them. Anyone can help except anyone related to a candidate or the candidates themselves, or the voter’s employer, agent of their employer or an officer of their union.

When helping those with vision impairments vote, assistants are allowed to point out the candidates and read out their names, but they cannot tell the voter who to select.

—Mary Helene Hall

11:45 a.m. to noon — Mikado Baptist Church on Houston Road

Jean Clements voted about noon at Mikado Baptist Church in South Bibb County.

“The economy is the biggest thing,” she said. “It’s just really tough or a lot of people right now.”

“I had to come vote and make myself count,” 25-year-old Malik Tucker said after casting his ballot for Kamala Harris at Mikado Baptist Church.

—Laura Corley

Police presence at polling places

A Bibb County Sheriff’s office spokesperson said presence of marked cars at polling places is normal for election days. Most voting spots in Macon had a car monitoring the polling place and parking lot near the entrance.

11 a.m. — Howard Community Club on Forsyth Road

I voted at my polling place, the Howard Community Club. There were a few folks coming in and out but no line. Poll workers said everything had gone “as smooth as butter” and a few were enjoying an early lunch break in prep for the noon rush.

—Caleb Slinkard

10:45 a.m. — Robert J. Williams Complex on Anthony Road

Everything is smooth sailing at the Robert J. Williams Complex on Anthony Road so far. The well-staffed polling place was getting people in and out of the door quickly, and by around 10:45 a.m., nearly 300 ballots had been tabulated.

The poll manager said they’d encountered no problems since polls opened that morning, and there’s been a steady flow of folks with little-to-no wait.

—Mary Helene Hall

9-10 a.m. — Robert J. Williams Complex on Anthony Road

Former Macon-Bibb County commissioner Elaine Lucas made an appearance Tuesday morning at the polling place at Hutchings in West Macon. She drove a van to the polling place on Anthony Road and dropped off voters.

Amanda Schuber, the minister at High Street Unitarian Universalist Church in Macon, was outside the Dr. Robert J. Williams Complex serving as a poll chaplain with Faith United.

“My job out here is to greet people, to sort of bring the temperature down if it gets a little too heated — to be that calm presence and to just thank people for coming out to vote,” Schuber said. “And to sort of bring my faithfulness into how we think about elections because our democracy is important no matter who you vote for, our democracy is what matters. So, coming out here and exercising that civic duty is really important and as people of faith, we need to come vote.”

She said Faith United assigned her to the polling location.

“They have certain locations are in communities that might have higher temperatures as it were when it comes to the voting so they place us at various voting locations around mostly battleground states.”

—Debbie Blankenship / Reg Murphy Center for Collaborative Journalism

8 a.m. — St. Francis Episcopal Church on Forest Hill Road

A line of about twenty people waited to cast their ballots before the doors of St. Francis Episcopal Church opened at 7 a.m. this morning on Election Day, a poll worker told The Melody.

For the rest of the morning, a steady trickle of folks came to the church on Forest Hill Road to vote. The parking lot was a perpetual flow of cars coming in and leaving.

For some, it was their first time voting in an election. 

Jaydon Glover, 20, wanted to do his part in making sure that young voices are heard in what he believes is an important election.

“I know this election will have a hand in future generations,” he said. “So to be able to tell my sons, daughters, grandchildren that I placed a vote for who I voted for — it’s a good feeling.”

Although he felt “jittery” entering the polls this morning, Glover described the process as “streamlined” and “easy.”

“With this being my first time, I just wanted to get that full experience,” he said. “People were very friendly and I didn’t feel any restrictions at all.”

Another voter, Virginia Josey, 33, echoed a similar excitement for Election Day.

“I actually enjoy going on Election Day and fortunately this polling place is always run so well that I never have to worry about waiting too long,” she said. 

She emphasized the importance of being cognizant of the repercussions of who one votes for and noted that it is not about what the media presents, but how casting a vote will impact folks’ everyday lives.

Denise Hines, 18, came to St. Francis with her parents who drove her to the polls to cast her ballot for the very first time. She said her priority as a voter is the health and rights of her peers.

Another voter, Ben, 47, told The Melody that the economy and security of the country was one of his priorities as he cast a ballot this morning at St. Francis. 

Tomeka Edwards, 45, came out of the polls early this morning with her two kids, one of whom was a first time voter. Edwards, who said women’s rights and fair treatment for all are important values to her, came on Election Day because she has work and needed to make the time to vote. 

Allissa Ottman, 30, shared a similar focus on women’s rights and ensuring that young folks are the future.

“I think the future holds everything for us right now, so it’s very important for me to get up and come,” she said.

—Evelyn Davidson

8 a.m. — Boys and Girls Club on Shurling Drive

As parents dropped off their kids at King-Danforth Elementary School Tuesday morning in East Macon, a handful of voters made their way to the polls at the Boys and Girls Club across the lawn.

Wayne Johnson and a van with his campaign ad on it stood at the entrance of the parking lot greeting voters around 8 a.m.

A poll manager reported they had seen about 55 voters by around 8:15 a.m. There were no major issues.

Almost all voters coming in and out were Black. Most voters were older, and a number of them said they had voted for Kamala Harris.

Toshana Bivins, 51, said she just hopes it’s not Trump. She said she couldn’t believe that Trump won in the first place, leading her to doubt the impact of her vote.

Tim Coats, 41, said he’s always voted Democrat. He also hopes his vote makes a difference this year.

“I’m bottom class,” he said. “We all know Trump is gonna win anyways, but we gotta put the vote in for the little guy.”

“It’s our duty to vote, to honor the people that fought for that right,” James Taylor, 76, said. “It’s time for a change. No misogynistic White House no more.”

—Casey Choung

7 a.m. — First Christian Church on Vineville Avenue

At about 6:55 a.m., the line to vote at First Christian Church on Vineville Avenue consisted of roughly 20 people. The group quietly chattered and made small talk, the nearby traffic not loud enough yet to be disruptive. A few people spied friends in line and swapped spots with others to catch up.

The polls opened smoothly at 7 a.m. on the dot, and the queue quickly dissipated as voters filed into booths. The process was simple, and the poll workers seemed jovial despite the long day ahead of them. “I’m just not thinking about tonight,” one of them said with a laugh.

Plenty of voters bring their kids in with them, casting their ballots before dropping young ones off at school. As folks leave, many take photos with their “I’m a Georgia voter” peach sticker. The kids have fun posing for pictures, a last hurrah before the school day.

The reasons why folks turned out to cast their vote on election day were diverse, too.

Kim French, 60, has visited this polling place for a long time and remembers the workers there. She waves and smiles at friends and neighbors as they enter to cast their ballots while talking about her reasons for voting.

“I just feel like we have a lot of government officials that are going unmonitored,” French said. “I don’t feel like we’ve had a 24/7 leader, we need someone who is in office getting things done. And I think there are people in the background who are making the decisions.”

Multiple people exiting the polling place noted women’s rights as a key reason they voted.

“My wife did early voting because she hurt her leg and was in a walking boot, so it was easier for her, but she’s a big reason why I’m here. My wife and her rights with her body are very important to me,” said Daniel Graves, 38, who’s been visiting the Vineville Avenue polling place for about a decade. 

“I could sit here all morning and give you reasons to vote, especially with how drastically different the candidates are.”

Leslie Brown said it was not only her right to vote, but her responsibility.

“It’s the first year I considered early voting, but I’ve been coming to this polling place for a while. The pollers recognized me, said hello,” she said. “It was all smooth and easy.”

As far as the process goes, most voters reported an easy time. Regina Simmons, 53, and Shawn Nelson, 51, have always voted together, but visited First Christian Church to vote for the first time since it became their new polling place when they moved.

“It was really easy, and there was a nice atmosphere,” Simmons said. “I voted on the day because I kind of procrastinated, I guess, but it was very easy.”

Brown’s daughter had to drive almost three hours home to vote after her mail-in ballot did not arrive fast enough, which took poll workers a bit of time to work out, but her vote was eventually cast.

French thought she had an issue voting before realizing she’d made a common mistake.

“I always make it hard. The little card you put into the machine to vote, I always put it in upside-down. Every year,” she said with a laugh.

—Micah Johnston

Polling places

Here are the polling places in Macon. Visit the Georgia Secretary of State’s website to find your polling places and review a sample ballot.

East Macon

• River Edge Behavioral Center (Health Department entrance): 175 Emery Hwy
• Boys and Girls Club (King Danford Unit): 1301 Shurling Drive
• Appling Middle School: 1646-B Upper River Road
• New Griswoldville Baptist Church: 3003 Truitt Place
• Swift Creek Baptist Church: 4354 Jeffersonville Road

Godfrey

• Robert J. Williams Complex: 1780 Anthony Road
• Beulah Baptist Church: 1536 MLK Blvd.
• Beulahland Bible Church: 1010 Newberg Ave.
• Bruce Elementary School: 3660 Houston Ave.
• Harvest Cathedral: 2254 Rocky Creek Road

Hazzard

• Covenant Life Cathedral: 4543 Bloomfield Road
• Lake Wildwood Clubhouse: 100 Clubhouse Road
• Middle GA State University (Art Complex Building & Music Rehearsal Hall): 100 University Dr.
• Tabernacle Baptist Church: 6611 Zebulon Road

Howard

• Northway Church: 5915 Zebulon Road
• Howard Community Club: 5645 Forsyth Road
• Turning Point at the Mabel White Baptist Church: 1415 Bass Road
• Masonic Temple Riverside Drive: 2936 Riverside Drive
• Forest Hills Methodist Church: 1217 Forest Hill Road
• St. Francis Episcopal Church: 432 Forest Hill Road
• Northside Christian Church: 5024 Northside Drive

Rutland

• Mikado Baptist Church: 6751 Houston Road
• Porterfield Baptist Church: 2910 Allen Road

Vineville

• Professional Learning Center: 2003 Riverside Drive
• First Christian Church: 2306 Vineville Avenue
• Glorious Hope Baptist Church: 3805 Napier Ave.
• Greater Bellevue Baptist Church: 4041 Mumford Road
• Northminster Presbyterian Church: 565 Wimbish Road
• Lutheran Church of The Redeemer: 390 Pierce Ave.

Warrior

• Lizella Baptist Church: 2950 S. Lizella Road, Lizella GA 31052
• Macon Evangelistic Church: 5399 Hartley Bridge Road