Study: Georgia ranks 49th for voting wait

State sees higher marks for its online options, including registration.

Georgia voters wait longer in line to cast their ballots — more than 16 minutes on average — than voters in almost every other state, according to a recent study of elections across the nation.

Georgia ranked 49th in voting wait time during elections in 2016, according to the Elections Performance Index by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which evaluated every state and the District of Columbia in data released lastmonth. The waiting time ranking was based on information from survey responses.

Only voters in South Carolina and Indiana waited longer.

Georgia’s elections system fared better in other areas, such as its voter registration rejection rate of 0.29 percent, the ninth-lowest rate in the United States.

The state also received high marks for its availability of online information tools to help voters find their registration status and polling places, and to look up sample ballots. Georgia was one of 21 states and the District of Columbia with all available information tools.

Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp said three of his “proudest accomplishments” are the creation of the state’s online voter registration system, My Voter Page and electronic ballot delivery for military and overseas voters.

“In the Peach State, it has never been easier to register to vote, update your voter registration, or access on-demand, personalized information for upcoming elections,” Kemp, the Republican nominee for governor, said ina statement Tuesday that cited the Elections Performance Index.

Overall, Georgia ranked No. 34 in the nation in election performance in 2016, down from No. 27 in 2014, according to the study.