First-time voters were among the early crowd at the Crawford Depot on Tuesday morning.
“I’m just trying to do my part,” said Elliott Fowler, first-time voter and Arnoldsville resident.
Fowler wasn’t the only first-time voter at the Depot. Jennifer Fleeman of Crawford chose this year to be her first trip to the polls.
“It was very easy, rather than what I thought it was going to be,” she said.
The Depot is one of three polling precincts in the county, catering to citizens of Crawford, Arnoldsville and Winterville. The polling location opened at 7 a.m., and, within the first three hours, 170 votes were cast.
“I don’t know anything more important,” said Beverly Nation, former probate judge of Oglethorpe County and member of the election board.
Nation and other volunteers arrived at the location at 6 a.m. before opening the Depot’s doors to a line of nearly 50 people.
A diverse group of voters filed through the Depot in the morning hours, with some bringing their children.
Sarah Brasher and Stephanie Newell brought their son to learn about the civic process. They believe it was a beneficial experience for him.
“So that they can be exposed to it, so that they can ask questions, so it opens up conversations,” Newell said. “It’s important to teach them young so that they know how important it is, and how important it is for even women to be able to vote, and (for him) being a person of color as well, it’s very important to teach that.”
Voters mentioned various issues they each prioritized.
Newell cited equal rights, civil rights and the environment as issues she cared about.
resident Liz Tyler added abortion to the list of issues important to Oglethorpe County voters.
“Taxes and inflation,” Fowler said.
“I would definitely say the economy is a big one, but it’s not the biggest,” Brasher said.