Georgia early voters total 2.5 million

ATLANTA — Georgia voters turned out in full force during the state’s early voting period, with about 2.5 million people voting early in person or by absentee ballot.

The vast majority of those ballots — about 2.3 million — were cast through early voting in person at polling stations. Another 216,067 absentee ballots — more than three-quarters of all absentee ballots requested — were returned during the early voting period.

The overall early voting numbers are much higher than the last midterm elections in 2018 and close to the early voting number of 2.6 million ahead of the 2020 presidential election.

“Georgia voters came out in near presidential-level numbers,” Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said. “County election directors handled that demand with the utmost professionalism. They navigated a whole host of challenges and executed seamlessly. They deserve our highest praise.”

The early voting period began in mid-October and extended until last Friday.

Stacey Abrams, who is challenging Republican Gov. Brian Kemp this year, and other Democrats have said that Georgians are turning out in high numbers in spite of the new law. The changes have made it harder for people to obtain absentee ballots, which has driven up demand for early voting, Abrams’ campaign manager, Lauren Groh-Wargo, said.

Voters can turn in absentee ballots until 7 p.m. on Election Day Tuesday. To find your polling location, visit the secretary of state’s My Voter Page.

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