A.M. ATL: It’s go time

Morning, y’all! Happy Election Day. If you see something concerning at the polls today that you think the media needs to know about, tell us. We have a form here.

Hopefully, no one will need it, all will go smoothly, and we can sit back and watch the results roll in tonight with a cup of tea. Or Jim Beam. Or both, we don’t judge.

Let’s get to it.

FINAL NOTES FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

No more political ads. No more mailers. It’s time for action, and Georgia’s top political candidates have spent the last few days making their final cases to voters.

🔎 READ MORE: A live log of last-minute campaign activities

Ossoff: Hours left to “change the course of history”

U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff made a stop at a Decatur field office yesterday. “We have 29 hours still ahead of us to use our constitutional rights and take action and change the course of history and save our country,” he said.

• Polls show a good probability of Ossoff winning reelection over his GOP opponent, U.S. Rep. Mike Collins.
• There have been other indicators, too, in the way GOP groups have diverted money away from efforts to defeat Ossoff into other, possibly more promising races.
• The AJC’s Greg Bluestein breaks down key moments during Ossoff’s campaign.

Collins: “This race is too close to slow down”

Collins closed out his campaign with a solo news conference in an Atlanta parking lot Monday, as Republican gubernatorial nominee Rick Jackson campaigned elsewhere with Gov. Brian Kemp. “We’re still running wide open,” he said.

Bottoms: “I will make sure your voices are heard”

Democratic nominee for governor Keisha Lance Bottoms made a poignant stop on Monday, visiting her ancestral home in Crawfordville where her great-great-grandparents were enslaved on a plantation.

• Crawfordville is capital-T Tiny, with less than 500 residents. She promised rural voters better representation.
• “I will make sure our rural communities are not forgotten or left behind,” Bottoms said. “I will make sure your voices are heard.”

Jackson: “You’ve got to leave it on the field”

Kemp has been beside Jackson on several late campaign stops, helping shore up a nervous GOP base. Jackson and Kemp have put forth the message that a Jackson win will ensure Kemp’s legacy continues.

• At a Monday stop in Canton, Kemp pointed to his narrow 2018 victory over Democrat Stacey Abrams as a reason to get out the vote. “If we have a big turnout tomorrow, we are going to win this race and elect Rick Jackson.”
• During the stop, the AJC asked Jackson about the reported $200 million of his own money he’s spent on his campaign.
• “If you’ve got the wrong message and the wrong messenger, it doesn’t matter how much money you have,” he said.

The clash between Bottoms and Jackson is a test of competing political forces: Jackson’s extraordinary wealth and outsider appeal against Bottoms’ energized Democratic base and a national climate that has soured on Trump.

🔎 READ MORE: How the tight battle for Georgia governor has played out

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REMEMBER, THERE’S MORE

Senate and governor races are very sexy, news-wise, but there are several other critical races on the ballot.

Lieutenant Governor:

• Democrat Josh McLaurin
• Republican Greg Dolezal

Secretary of State:

• Democrat Penny Brown Reynolds
• Republican Tim Fleming

Attorney General:

• Democrat Tanya Miller
• Republican Brian Strickland

A recent Atlanta Journal-Constitution survey of likely Georgia voters shows these downballot races are just as deadlocked as some at the top.

Other important races:

• Commissioner of agriculture
• Commissioner of insurance
• State school superintendent
• Commissioner of labor
• 2 Public Service Commission seats
• 14 U.S. House Districts

🔎 READ MORE: Learn more about all of the above races and the candidates. This article is free to read for everyone.

MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS

⚖️ A former High Museum of Art executive was sentenced to 12 months in prison after admitting to stealing more than $600,000 from the museum. Brady Lum’s attorney said his theft during his time as chief operating officer at the museum was “an addictive obsession.”

🚙 Rivian’s new bestselling model is the R2 midsize SUV, the same car the electric vehicle maker plans to assemble at the $5 billion factory under construction in Social Circle.

🐝 Georgia Tech President Ángel Cabrera is leaving his post to head the nonprofit Aspen Institute. Why leave what felt like a dream job for the Tech alum? “This is really an awesome job, and on the other hand, these jobs are super, super intense. I’m tired,” he told the AJC.

WHAT ELSE TO EXPECT ON ELECTION DAY

It’s going to be a long night for those of you looking to learn the election results as they happen. (And those of you who are part of the AJC Politics team — big shoutout there.)

• When are polls open?

Polls will open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. across the state.

• When will we know results?

Early unofficial results must be in about an hour after polls close. By the end of the night, we’ll know the outcomes for most races, but some races may be too close to call.

• Can I predict the final results from the earliest tallies?

No. The various rhythms with which votes come in can create “mirages,” when one candidate initially seems to be winning but is overtaken by later vote tabulations.

Early in-person votes and absentee ballots processed during early voting will be among the first ballots to be counted.

Plus, some counties may be faster to report results than others.

🔎 READ MORE: How vote tabulation and certification works

Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and election experts have raised concerns about election disinformation from foreign adversaries, artificial intelligence and, in Raffensperger’s words, “grifters and conspiracy theorists.”

However, that has to do with what voters think, not how the election is actually run.

Raffensperger said during a Monday news conference he is fully confident in Georgia’s democratic processes.

NEWS BITES

Braves’ Matt Olson, Mauricio Dubón win Gold Glove Awards

It’s Olson’s fourth and Dubón’s third time nabbing the honors. Well-earned, both.

Fun, unusual holiday gifts for movie lovers

Featuring the four words every woman wants to hear: Robert Pattinson nesting doll.

What’s so funny? 7 metro Atlanta places to learn improv, stand-up comedy

I’d say it’s about confidence, but we all know some of the best acts mine their comedic gems from a deeply sublimated sense of inadequacy. The Aristocrats!

ON THIS DATE

Nov. 3, 1976