By Mark Woolsey

The end of early voting is on the horizon for an upcoming election in Cobb County, as elections officials deal with fallout from the recent Nov. 4 vote.

This is the last week of early voting for the Nov. 18 special election in State Senate District 35, which encompasses portions of both Cobb and Fulton counties.

Four Democrats, one Republican and one independent candidate are vying to replace former State Sen.Jason Esteves, who resigned to focus on his campaign for governor.

Early voting in the Cobb portion of the district is being held at one location, the Taylor-Brawner House, 3182 Atlanta Rd. SE, Smyrna. In addition, hand-delivery of absentee ballots is OK there but there is no drop box.

At the main elections office, 995 Roswell St. NE, Marietta, there is no in-person voting but a drop box is on site and absentee ballot hand-delivery is allowed.

Early voting hours this week will be from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. There will be no voting on Tuesday, Veterans Day, or on the Saturday or Monday  before the Nov. 18 balloting. Poll hours that day will be from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and voters must report to their assigned precinct.

Meanwhile, certification of the results of the Nov. 4 election is set for 3 p.m. Monday as the Cobb County Board of Elections and Registration meets.

Also on the agenda is Interim Election Director Michael D’Itri’s report on how the voting process worked, which will undoubtedly include a recitation of problems at a few precincts.

Cobb County Elections and Voter Registration officials say the most notable problems occurred at the Thompson Park Community Center, where long lines and accessibility issues were compounded by a closed road. Additional staffers, equipment and law enforcement were deployed, but the lines and backups remained an issue.

Another precinct encountered technical issues and was ordered to stay open late, election officials say.

Social media reaction was pointed.

“It was the most chaotic voting experience of my life,” said one Facebook poster of Thompson Park who said that after waiting two hours to vote, she was trapped in the parking lot by a line of cars coming up a one-lane road that prevented her from leaving.

Another said,  “People couldn’t park, so they just left.”

Still others complained that a nearby precinct, Lindley Middle School, was severely underutilized, with no lines and short wait times.

The elections department says co-locating precincts, which was necessary at Thompson Park, stems from availability and scheduling conflicts beyond their control. Election officials plan to study the issue of putting more than one precinct in the same spot, along with setup procedures and tech support, to hopefully ensure smoother voting going forward.