Nevada, South Carolina, West Virginia and North Dakota also voted on Tuesday amid the coronavirus pandemic and unrest unseen since the 1960s.

The vote is being seen as a preview of November’s presidential election.

US President Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger Joe Biden are expected to compete hotly for Georgia in the forthcoming battle for the White House.

Before voting was finished for the day, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who is in charge of state elections, opened an investigation into the way voting was conducted in Fulton and DeKalb counties.

In an interview with WAGA-TV, he called the situation “unacceptable” and promised “to determine what these counties need to do to resolve these issues before November’s election”.

Georgia House Speaker David Ralston, who is like Mr Raffensperger is a Republican, has also called the state legislature to investigate the voting issues.

Atlanta’s Democratic Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms took to Twitter in the morning to report that residents across the city and some suburbs were turning up to find that voting machines “are not working”.

“If you are in line, PLEASE do not allow your vote to be suppressed,” she continued, amid reports that frustrated residents were leaving. “PLEASE stay in line.”

Georgia Congresswoman Lucy McBath also alleged “voter suppression” was the reason for the massive delays, tweeting: “Unacceptable. Our citizens have a right to vote. Plain and simple.”

Source___BBC