In-Person, Early Voting in Georgia Senate Contest Shatters Record
ATLANTA — Georgia voters choosing between incumbent Democrat Sen. Raphael Warnock and his Republican challenger Herschel Walker in the Dec. 6 runoff election shattered the state’s record for early, in-person voting on Monday, according to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
In all, 301,545 Georgians cast their ballots on Monday, the first day early voting was taking place across the state, far surpassing the previous records of 233,252 votes cast on the final day of early voting in the 2018 general election, and 252,715 votes cast on the highest day of early voting in 2016.
Thirty-four of Georgia’s 159 counties offered early voting on either Saturday or Sunday, bringing the total number of voters who had cast ballots by Tuesday morning to 468,000.
“The largest early voting day in Georgia history shows that claims of voter suppression in Georgia are conspiracy theories no more valid than Bigfoot,” Raffensperger said in a written statement.
Deputy Secretary of State Jordan Fuchs agreed, saying, “the numbers don’t lie.”
“Georgia’s election infrastructure is nationally recognized for voter access. It’s time for local activists to recognize that,” Fuchs said.
In a press release, the secretary of state’s office said long lines of voters have been reported in a number of metro areas. These included Gwinnett, Fulton, DeKalb and Cobb around metro Atlanta, and Richmond County, which includes Augusta, Georgia.
The last day for in-person early voting is Friday, Dec. 2.
Dan can be reached at [email protected] and @DanMcCue
