If you plan to vote early at the Douglas County courthouse, get there early.

More than 1,000 people a day are choosing not to wait until Nov. 6 to cast ballots for the US Presidential race, Sunday alcohol sales, Georgia Charter Schools Amendment and many other state and local elections.

Since early voting began last Monday, an estimated 8,558 voters have cast ballots early. Add that to 1,948 mailed ballots and election season is over for more than 10 percent of Douglas County’s 83,000 registered voters.

“The numbers have only increased every day,” said Elections Supervisor Laurie Fulton. “Friday we voted 1,115, Monday we voted 1,174, Tuesday was over 1,200.”

A total of 20,041 voters cast ballots in the July 31 primary, a total which may be surpassed before general election day even begins on Nov. 6. Fulton said it is not possible to see how many votes were cast early at this point in the 2008 election.

Long lines at the voter registration office on the first floor of the courthouse are the rule, not the exception. To vote, one must be resisted to vote in the county and bring one of six acceptable forms of photo ID.

A precinct card is not needed. Operations are running smoothly, but the high turnout means early voters can stand in line for 30 minutes or longer to cast a ballot. Voting takes place at the voter registration office every day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Some relief may come next week when additional voting locations open. Early voting will be available Oct. 29-Nov 2 at the Old Courthouse, Deer Lick Park Activity Center, Boundary Waters Aquatic Center and Dog River Library.

Along with regular week day voting, voting will be allowed Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., also at the voter registration office on the first floor of the courthouse.

Voters can check the Secretary of State’s website at the my voter page and verify whether or not they are registered. There 21 days of early voting in Georgia, of which nine will have passed at the end of today. The last day to vote early is Friday, Nov. 2.

The process is designed to provide more access to voters who may be out of town or working on election day, and also to ease congestion on Nov. 6

Three names will appear on Georgia’s presidential ballot, including Democratic incumbent Barack Obama, Republican Mitt Romney and Libertarian Gary Johnson. The following write-in candidates have also been approved: Ross C. “Rocky” Anderson, David L Byrne, Virgil Goode, Darrell Hykes, James Harris, Erin Kent Magee, Jill Reid and Jill Stein. Vice Presidential write-ins are Tom Cary, Cheri Honkala and Alyson Kennedy.

Two Public Service Commission races are on the ballot, one pits Republican incumbent Chuck Eaton against Democrat Stephen Oppenheimer and Brad Ploeger, the other has two candidates in Republican incumbent Stan Wise and Libertarian David Staples.

Democrat David Scott’s hold on Georgia’s 13th congressional seat will be challenged by Republican Shahid Malik. In state races, four Republican candidates are vying for Georgia Senate District 30’s seat. They are Mike Dugan, Bill Hembree, Jim Naughton and Glenn Richardson. The winner will face Libertarian James Camp on Jan 8.

Democrat Kim Alexander and Republican Bob Snelling are the candidates for Georgia House District 66, a new district created after the 2010 census. In neighboring District 67, Republican Micah Gravley and Democrat Leigh McMutry will face off.

Three county-wide elections will see a Republican incumbent face a Democratic challenger. They are Douglas County Sheriff, where Phil Miller will try for a fourth term against Derrick Broughton; Douglas County Commission Chair, where Tom Worthan faces a challenge from Romona Jackson-Jones; and Douglas County Tax Commissioner, where Todd Cowan tries for a second term against Greg Baker.

Douglasville voters will decide whether to allow Sunday retail alcohol sales. County voters will decide that as well, plus a separate resolution on Sunday sales by the drink (restaurant sales).

Lastly, two amendments to the Georgia Constitution will appear on the ballot. One would guarantee the state’s right to approve charter schools and re-establish the Georgia Charter Schools Commission, and the other would allow for multi-year real estate rental agreements for state agencies.

Other races will also appear, but have only one candidate left. A sample ballot with each election, candidates and ballot questions can be found at CelebrateDouglasCounty.com.