Georgia early voting continues to surge after smashing record on first day

[RandySF]

More than 300,000 Georgians cast a ballot Tuesday for the November election, the first day of early voting, doubling the state’s Day 1 record. On Wednesday, there were no signs that the pace was slowing down, with nearly 300,000 more people voting, according to data from the crucial battleground state.

Gabriel Sterling, a top state elections official, posted on X that the numbers meant “that we will break past the half a million votes cast today. That’s 10% of the turnout we saw in 2020. Big numbers!” By day’s end, the two-day total stood at 581,902.

The record probably reflects partisan enthusiasm on both sides of the aisle, though it is unclear from so little data what it means — if anything — for the overall state of the race. The fact that the heavy turnout continued into a second day is more remarkable, according to several political consultants in Georgia.

There may be multiple reasons for the spike. Early voting gives Georgians a chance to avoid the hours-long lines and delayed mail-in ballots that have marred past contests in the state. The 2020 election was conducted near the height of the coronavirus pandemic, and the state sent mail-in ballot applications to every Georgia voter.



https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/10/16/georgia-early-voting-numbers-record-election-2024/