Georgia voters are breaking records when it comes to early voting. There have been more than one million votes cast in the state through nine days of early voting, according to data from the Secretary of State’s Office.
As of Wednesday morning, 1,017,732 voters cast their ballots during early voting, with 124,508 alone showing up on Tuesday, October 25th. By day six of early voting, there was a 159 percent increase in early voting compared to the same period in 2018. Georgia voters also broke the turnout record of day six of early voting in the 2020 Presidential election by 20 percent.
“Early Voting is strong because Georgia’s Voter Registration system is strong,” Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said in a release. “Every eligible Georgian who wants to be registered to vote is registered to vote. Georgians have taken advantage of Automatic Voter Registration at the DDS, online and kept up with their status on My Voter Page.”
According to a Washington Post analysis, although every demographic and region of the state has experienced higher turnout than in 2018, there has been a surge in the participation of women, Black voters, and voters over 50. While many counties in the state’s southwest and along the southeast coast are far outpacing their early vote counts from 2018, the most significant increases in the Atlanta region.
“Georgia voters are giving their county election directors a tremendous blessing by taking advantage of the unprecedented variety of Early Voting options available to all Georgians,” said Raffensperger. “Reducing the burden on the counties is crucial for a safe, secure, and accessible election.”
Georgia’s Secretary of State also announced the launch of a new pilot program designed to decrease voter check-in times and potential data entry errors during early voting across the state.
Early voting in Georgia ends on November 4, the Friday before Election Day.
