Georgia breaks record with over 300,000 votes on first day of early voting

ATLANTA, Ga. ( WJBF ) — The first day of early voting in Georgia wrapped up on Tuesday with more 300,000 ballots cast, which state leaders say is record breaking turnout.

“Our motto is simple. Every vote matters because every voter matters. We have been working over time to for the last two years since 2022 — counties have been working hard and we have been putting together our shoulder to the wheel to get it done,” said Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger.

Georgia has more than 7 million active voters.

Just in the first three hours Tuesday, there were already 72,000 check ins. Back in 2022  — to put in perspective — state vote leaders say about 136,000 check ins during early voting on Day 1.

Georgia’ secretary of state anticipates record voter turnout over the next three weeks.

“We have partnered with a tech company and we are going to be able to audit every single race, and all 5 million ballots based on the human text not the qr code. From the president to the commission race, but every single race will have an audit. That is tremendous and builds trust,” said Raffensperger.

New laws in Georgia now require two required Saturday voting days and leave it up to the county election board to add in Sundays as well. The last day to request an absentee ballot is October 25th.

“I do want to remind that absentee ballots are only sent to every Georgia voter after they provide a valid voter id which is primarily your driver license number,” said Raffensperger.

Counties have to report election results from early voting and absentee voting one hour after polls close on election day for faster results.

The state election board recently passed rules that could delay certification including the manual hand counting of ballots at each voting precinct.

Officials expect this season to be quite hectic, so make a plan before you cast your ballot. You can also vote absentee — or vote on election day at your designated polling place.

Early voting for the November 5th presidential elections will continue through Friday, November 1st. You can vote at any polling precinct in your county during early voting.

You can find your early voting information like which polling precincts to cast your ballot at the voter page on the secretary of state’s website .

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