Georgia voters are turning out in numbers that have already outpaced the last midterm election, and Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens spent the first Saturday of early voting making sure that momentum keeps building. Dickens led a get-out-the-vote push through Cobb, North Fulton and Gwinnett counties, traveling alongside U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, film producer Will Packer and local community leaders as part of a broader canvassing tour that stopped at a Marietta barbershop and included conversations with voters across metro Atlanta.
The effort comes as Georgia's election numbers climb toward historic territory. As of noon on Saturday, nearly 730,000 Georgians had already cast ballots over the first five days of early voting, according to Atlanta News First. The station reported that more than 190,000 voters cast ballots in person on October 13, the first day of early voting, a figure it said was more than 53,000 votes above the first-day total from 2022.
Other reporting on that same opening day put the number slightly differently. Online Athens cited Georgia Secretary of State's Office figures showing 188,667 in-person votes cast on the first day, a 40% jump over 2022's first-day total of 134,962 voters and well above the 70,849 who voted in person on day one back in 2018. The outlet also noted that 10,267 absentee ballots had already been accepted in those opening-day figures. Whichever exact count holds up, both accounts agree on the same bottom line: Georgians are showing up early in numbers the state has not seen before.
Dickens and Packer Press the Case for Bottoms
As reported by 11Alive, Dickens used the canvassing tour to press his support for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms, praising her public-service experience and urging voters to make their voices heard ahead of the November 3 midterm election. It is not the first time Dickens has made that case publicly. At a virtual “Men for Keisha” rally earlier this year that drew roughly 1,000 attendees, Dickens told the crowd that Bottoms' record navigating the coronavirus pandemic and the protests for racial equality gave him no doubt she could lead the state, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
That same rally, first reported by theGrio, also featured U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, former U.S. Ambassador Andrew Young and singer and actor Tyrese. Bottoms, who won the Democratic gubernatorial primary in May powered by strong support from Black voters, has urged Georgians to participate by pointing to education, health care, jobs and voting rights as issues she says affect everyday residents of the state. TheGrio reported that the rally's organizers intentionally targeted Black men, whom the outlet said are somewhat more likely than Black women to back Republican candidates.
Volunteers Cite Cost of Living, Immigration
Alongside the elected officials, newer volunteers joined the weekend push as well. Preston Spencer, who volunteered for the first time during the campaign effort, said he views volunteering as a civic duty and believes people should take the lead rather than wait for others to act, per 11Alive's reporting. Spencer said rising living expenses are making it difficult for full-time workers to make ends meet, and he added that immigration policies are affecting his own family because he is married to an immigrant.
Ryan Wilson, co-founder and CEO of The Gathering Spot, also joined the canvassing effort and argued that Democrats need to turn cost-of-living frustration into concrete policy. Wilson said groceries and gas remain expensive and that families are struggling to get by, adding that they need leaders who understand their lived experience. He urged anyone considering sitting out the election to reconsider. Packer, for his part, identified gas prices, car insurance costs and Medicaid expansion as issues weighing on voters, and he urged undecided Black men in particular to vote in their own interests, encouraging people to cast ballots during their regular daily routines rather than waiting until Election Day.
How Much Time Is Left to Vote
Georgia's in-person early voting period began October 13, according to a listing from Georgia.gov, which notes the state is required to hold early voting statewide on the second and third Saturdays before Election Day, with some locations potentially open on the following Sundays as well. Voters are advised to confirm their local hours before heading out. Another Saturday voting opportunity is scheduled for October 24, and early voting continues through October 30 ahead of the November 3 general election. Georgia voters can check specific locations and hours in their county through the Georgia Secretary of State's My Voter Page.
