Early voting begins in Georgia

(The Center Square) – With Election Day officially in 21 days, the more than 7 million registered voters in Georgia can now cast their ballots in person.

Georgia is one of 47 states permitting early in-person voting as an option.

Both Republicans and Democrats have joined together in calling for their supporters to vote early, with the GeorgiaGOP telling Republicans to “flood the polls” and “make it too big to rig.”

In 2020, challenger Joe Biden began leading polls against incumbent President Donald Trump on Oct. 1. By Election Day, he was 1.2% ahead. The winning difference was about 11,000 votes, or just 0.23%, out of the more than 4 million cast.

Since 1980, 2020 was one of only two times the Republican presidential candidate lost in Georgia.

Now, Trump is widening the polling margin against Vice President Kamala Harris.

Voter registration for this election ended over a week ago on Oct. 7 and a judge recently dismissed a request for an extension to the voter registration deadline.

The NAACP and other voting advocacy groups filed the motion together, stating that voters were not given enough time to register due to “prolonged power outages, election office closures, internet outages, and postal service disruptions” brought on by Hurricane Helene.

U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross rejected those arguments last week. A federal judge in Florida rejected a similar voter registration extension request.

Early voting will continue until the last Friday before Election Day.

Georgia is one of seven consensus battleground states playing a pivotal role in determining the outcome of the presidential election.

While voter affiliation is not required in Georgia, according to a survey from the Pew Research Center, 82% of Georgia adults said they are either Republican or Democrat or lean towards one party or the other. Only 18% said they do not “lean” towards either party.

A large number of voters in Georgia are expected to participate in early in-person voting.

In the 2020 election, nearly 2.7 million Georgia voters cast their ballots by early voting. That was slightly over half of all the ballots cast in Georgia in the General Election.

Though COVID-19 is no longer a factor, with both parties encouraging early voting this election, early in-person voting numbers will likely remain high.

Visit sos.ga.gov for more information about early voting.