Georgia voters have shattered records for early voting, with more than 2.5 million in-person and absentee ballots cast as of Friday.
Georgia voters have shattered records for early voting, with more than 2.5 million in-person and absentee ballots cast as of Friday, according to Georgia’s secretary of state.
The Peach State saw a record number of first-day midterm turnouts after it opened last month. There was nearly twice the turnout on the first day of early voting in 2018, registering an unprecedented number of ballots ahead of election day.
On Friday, 231,063 voters cast their ballots in person in Georgia — a total 6% higher than the final day of early voting in the 2020 presidential election, according to a release from the office of Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, R-Ga.
Almost 2.3 million have taken advantage of early voting this year, with another 216,067 voting absentee. More than 75% of absentee ballots have been returned to county election offices.
“Georgia voters came out in near presidential-level numbers,” said Raffensperger. “County election directors handled that demand with the utmost professionalism. They navigated a whole host of challenges and executed seamlessly. They deserve our highest praise.”
The most closely watched races include the gubernatorial between Gov. Brian Kemp, R-Ga., and Democrat candidate Stacey Abrams, and the Senate race between Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., and GOP nominee Herschel Walker.
FiveThirtyEight’s average holds Kemp in a comfortable lead by 7.7 points and Walker in a tightly contested bid but up by .1 points.