ATLANTA, Ga. — Georgians are racing through midterm ballots at a pace that already pushed statewide totals close to 529,000 by Thursday night, before the second week of advance voting even began.
Voting officials said the first three days produced about 190,000 on the first day, then 174,000 and 163,000 on the next two days. Friday closed the opening stretch, and two more weeks of advance voting remain before Election Day on Nov. 3.
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said Tuesday alone set a midterm high-water mark for in-person advance voting. His office counted 188,667 people who voted in person that day, versus 134,962 on the first day of the 2022 midterm cycle. The gap is 53,705 voters, about a 40 percent rise. The 2018 opener stood at 70,849. Officials also logged 10,267 absentee ballots that had already been accepted.
Raffensperger said the surge shows confidence in how Georgia runs elections and praised workers in every one of the 159 counties. Residents can find sites and hours through the state My Voter Page, and the Election Data Hub refreshes the turnout charts.
Counties around Atlanta produced about one-third of the statewide pile so far. Along the Savannah River corridor, Richmond County cleared 8,000 ballots and Columbia County cleared 7,000 by Thursday, while Washington, McDuffie and Burke led smaller counties nearby.
Why the rush matters: competitive contests for governor and the U.S. Senate are on every statewide ballot, and pollsters say crossover voting could reshape several ticket lines. Advance voting continues each day through Oct. 30.
County election boards say wait times have varied by site, but the new handwritten check-in list required after electronic check-in has not produced major delays in most places that reported back to the state.
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