Georgia breaks voting record

A triple line of voters forms as they wait to cast votes in the Grady High School gymnasium on Tuesday morning, November 8, 2016. JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM

Credit: JOHN SPINK / AJC

Credit: JOHN SPINK / AJC

A triple line of voters forms as they wait to cast votes in the Grady High School gymnasium on Tuesday morning, November 8, 2016. JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM

With more than 4 million votes counted, Georgia set a record for number of votes cast, Secretary of State Brian Kemp said early Wednesday.

That represents more than 74 percent of the state’s 5.45 million active registered voters.

The state surpassed the 2008 record of 3.9 million votes, Kemp said in a news release.

A record 2.42 million voters cast their ballots by the end of the early voting period Friday, beating the previous early voting record of 2.1 million set during the 2008 presidential election.

Counties will finalize counts of provisional ballots and certify election results by Tuesday.

The Secretary of State uses these certified results to certify statewide results.

After certification, candidates who failed to receive a majority of votes but finished within 1 percent of the lead candidate can request a recount, Kemp said.