MABLETON, Ga. — Some voters say it was literally an uphill climb trying to cast their ballot at one polling location in the last election.
Voters in Mableton, Cobb County faced significant challenges during the last election from traffic congestion, limited parking and a steep hill at the Thompson Park Community Center polling location.
Voters said it shouldn’t be this hard to vote.
Channel 2’s Tom Jones reported from Mableton where election officials admit they could have done better.
The difficulties arose from having two precincts vote at the same location, which led to long lines and disruptions.
Cobb Elections acknowledged the issues and stated that higher turnout contributed to the congestion.
“Finding a place to park was the worst,” said Octavia Thompson, a voter who experienced the chaos firsthand.
Cobb County Chairwoman Lisa Cupid noted, “I’m sure this is a disruption for those who’ve had to move around.”
She said she had to stand in long lines like everyone else.
Thompson described the parking situation as a nightmare: “I parked in the park so I have to figure out where I parked exactly, by some playground. I don’t know. I’ll find it eventually.”
Traffic was heavily backed up, and Thompson observed several near-accidents as drivers navigated the crowded area.
Some voters were confused about the location of the polling place, with one voter expressing inconvenience over the steep hill they had to climb to cast their vote.
Lisa Cupid, Cobb County Chairwoman, also experienced the long lines and attributed part of the problem to the consolidation of two precincts at the Thompson Park Community Center.
Cobb Elections attempted to mitigate the situation by sending extra personnel, adding officers to direct traffic, and providing additional voting equipment, but these measures were insufficient to handle the congestion.
Thompson expressed frustration, stating, “This should never happen again. This looks like lack of planning.”
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
TRENDING STORIES:
Snow falls in Georgia, below freezing temperatures for Tuesday morning
18-year-old passenger dies on Carnival cruise, FBI investigates
STORY 3
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
©2025 Cox Media Group
