Early voters down slightly in Georgia for July 22 runoff

More than 44,000 people have already voted ahead of Georgia's July 22 runoff election, according to numbers compiled Tuesday by the Secretary of State's Office. The tally is slightly behind the early voting pace of the state's regular May 20 primary. The drop-off was expected, given the timing of the election in the middle of summer vacation season. Early voting continues through July 18. Here are the counts so far:

General statewide turnout

Number of ballots cast: 44,342

Number of ballots voted in person: 28,000

Number of mail-in ballots returned: 16,342

Number of mail-in ballots outstanding: 18,345

Top 5 counties with highest turnout

Cobb: 2,439

DeKalb: 2,401

Fulton: 1,706

Chatham: 1,705

Gwinnett: 1,687