Voters came out in force Tuesday for the first day of early voting in Georgia, breaking the state record for first-day turnout in a midterm election.
More than 188,600 ballots were cast on Tuesday, said Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
That’s an almost 54,000-vote increase from the 2022 midterms, when 134,962 Georgians cast ballots on the first day of early voting.
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Rising early voting turnout in the midterms has been a multi-cycle trend. In 2018, 70,849 voters cast ballots on the first day.
Although it sets the midterm record, this year’s first-day turnout is down from 2024, when presidential candidates were on the ballot and over 310,000 people cast ballots.
“This record-breaking turnout proves that voters have confidence in the integrity of our elections,” Mr. Raffensperger said in a statement.
Georgia has several competitive statewide races in November.
Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff is defending his seat against Republican Rep. Mike Collins.
Mr. Ossoff is the only Democratic incumbent senator seeking reelection in a state President Trump won in 2024.
He has led in polling and fundraising, and the race is rated “likely Democratic” by The Cook Political Report.
Control over state government is also on the line as Republican businessman Rick Jackson faces off against Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms, a former mayor of Atlanta.
Mr. Jackson, a wealthy healthcare executive, has funded his own campaign and holds a money advantage.
The gubernatorial race is considered a toss-up.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Georgia’s turnout exceeded 340,000, according to the Secretary of State’s online election data hub.
The website reported 2.3% turnout so far among White voters, and 1.5% among Black voters, with 4.5% turnout overall for the state’s 7.5 million active voters.
Georgia asks voters their race on voter registration forms, but does not have party registration.
Figures will update as voters continue to cast ballots.
Mr. Trump is scheduled to rally in Georgia on Friday as part of his larger effort to drum up Republican enthusiasm and turnout.
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