As Election Day approaches, Georgia has seen a surge in early voting with over 4 million residents casting their ballots ahead of tomorrow. This turnout, representing more than half of the state’s registered voters, marks a significant increase from 2020, when approximately 1.9 million voters participated in early voting. These numbers were reported by FOX 5 Atlanta.
According to the Office of Georgia Secretary of State’s data election hub, the early ballots account for about 55% of the state’s active voters. Notably, this exceeded the estimations of Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger who predicted around 3.9 million early votes. The data revealed that roughly 6% utilized absentee ballots, while others appeared in person, despite, Raffensperger's enthusiasm in a recent news conference where he commended Georgian's engagement in the electoral process. This detail was sourced from an interview published by Atlanta News First.
Alicia Hughes, an assistant professor at the Emory University School of Law, highlighted the civic nature of voting, telling FOX 5 Atlanta, "I think that Georgians understand that partisan politics, that's not what's on the ballot. People are concerned about their taxes, their quality of life. They're looking at this as a patriotic duty." She further mentioned the practical concerns leading up to Election Day, such as the potential for longer wait times at polling stations for those who have yet to vote.
There is an air of unpredictability for Election Day itself, with the Chief Operating Officer of the Georgia Secretary of State, Gabriel Sterling, speculating that some locations might be "ghost town," due to the high volume of early votes. The early turnout has not only set new records, but it has also spurred hope for more expedient results come election night, as a substantial amount of votes have already been processed. Despite this optimism, controversy arose in Cobb County when a judge ordered the extension of the absentee ballot deadline, a response to thousands of ballots being undelivered—a problem that sparked a lawsuit from civil rights groups and local residents. Sterling's comments and the Cobb County situation were also reported by Atlanta News First.
In the run-up to the final vote, misinformation has also been a cause for concern, with Raffensperger debunking a viral video that falsely claimed a Haitian immigrant had voted multiple times. The Secretary of State denounced the video, suggesting it might be "a production of Russian troll farms," and cautioned Americans against allowing such falsehoods to "divide us and undermine our faith in our institutions — or each other," as he spoke with Atlanta News First. His office is investigating a small number of individuals who may have cast more than one ballot.
Georgia remains a pivotal battleground state, with both national campaigns making concerted efforts to mobilize voters in the final days. The state's political landscape remains divided, with a CNN poll noting a narrow margin between the competing parties. This comes at a time when voters are acutely aware of the political landscape, with the early turnout suggesting the high stakes at play in this election.
