AUGUSTA, Ga. — Georgia voters have already set a new early voting mark ahead of Tuesday’s general election, and the final push in Augusta and across the state comes as the top campaigns pour enormous sums into advertising.
Statewide figures from the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office put the count above 2.5 million ballots, mail-in and in-person combined, as of 6:30 a.m. Friday. The old high from the 2022 midterms, 2,289,951, fell by 1:35 p.m. on Thursday, more than a full day before the window shut.
The early ballots so far add up to about one-third of the state’s voting population. Early voting opened Oct. 13 and set a one-day high right away. Sites were scheduled to close at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30, with some local hours differing. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger credited county election workers for handling the crowds.
The heavy turnout lines up with heavy spending. In the governor’s race, reports on file with the state Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission show Republican Rick Jackson spent about $99 million from August to late October, mostly on television ads. Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms spent around $6 million in the same stretch, leaning on door-to-door field work and advertising.
For the U.S. Senate seat, Sen. Jon Ossoff, the Democratic incumbent, had spent roughly $105 million as of Oct. 14, based on Federal Election Commission reports, much of it on TV time, while Republican challenger Mike Collins spent about $10 million on TV, text messages and mailers. Those figures cover only the candidates’ own committees, not outside groups.
Voters also pick a lieutenant governor, an attorney general, a secretary of state and other statewide officers. Voters in Augusta and Richmond County who did not vote early can cast ballots at their assigned precincts on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Section: More Augusta GA politics news
Filed under: Augusta GA Politics News
