ATLANTA, Ga. — Georgia voters have pushed in-person early turnout past the state record for a midterm election, and they still have one more day to add to it before Tuesday.
Figures released Thursday by the Georgia secretary of state showed 2,294,275 people had cast early ballots in person as of 1:35 p.m. That edged past the 2,289,951 mark set during the 2022 midterm.
Mail voting is adding to the total as well, and officials expect the combined early vote to rival everything cast before the last midterm. State election officials reported 108,251 accepted absentee ballots as of the same afternoon count, which puts overall turnout as a share of active registered voters on pace with the full 2022 midterm. Counting mail ballots, close to one in three active Georgia voters has already voted.
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger credited voter trust in the system and the work of county election offices for the surge.
The ballot carries heavy stakes. Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff is defending his seat against Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, and Georgia will seat a new attorney general, secretary of state, lieutenant governor and governor, since none of the current holders of those offices is on the ballot for them. Three proposed constitutional amendments are also on the ballot, and both President Donald Trump and former President Barack Obama have held recent rallies in Georgia.
In-person early voting ends at 7 p.m. Friday. Voters must use an early voting site in the county where they live, and locations and hours are listed on the state My Voter Page. On Election Day, Nov. 3, polls across Georgia open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.
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