Early voting for the Nov. 5 election began Wednesday, according to Board of Elections Secretary Gwen Freeman. More than 5,000 voters cast their ballots in Tulsa County. A heavy turnout limited to two locations in Tulsa resulted in long lines, with some voters waiting nearly two hours to reach the voting booth.

At the smaller of two Tulsa locations, the line had wrapped around the building throughout the day, and at 6 p.m. people were in line when the line was cut off and only voters already in line cast their ballots were allowed. Early voting hours are Thursdays and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Hours of operation on Election Day are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m

Election officials in Tulsa urged voters to go to a larger site in east Tulsa, where there was much more parking and voting machines. Despite the larger size, the wait there was still longer than downtown, and traffic was backed up half a mile away to reach the location at 12000 Skelly Drive. A second entrance is on 11th Street across from East Central High School.

Limited downtown parking will be even tighter on Friday and Saturday, when election board parking will be available only to voters with disabilities and county workers.