Secretary of State Brian Kemp announced early Wednesday morning that Georgia set an all-time record for the number of votes cast.
With over 4 million votes counted, Georgia surpassed the 2008 record of 3.9 million votes.
“After a year of liberal groups accusing me of voter suppression, Georgians were mobilized to go to the polls in record numbers,” Kemp said. “I was proud to lead this effort with the development of our Online Voter Registration System and energizing Georgia’s voters early in 2016 with the creation of the SEC Primary.”
This year began with presidential candidates stumping around Georgia. The state broke the record of number of votes cast in a Presidential Preference Primary with 2,055,617 ballots counted, Kemp said.
This momentum continued through the May primary to the conventions and campaigns of the fall. Definite numbers will not be available until election results are certified. However, with 5,445,078 active registered voters on election day and at least 4,045,613 votes cast, turnout was greater than 74 percent, Kemp said.
This trend was forecast with record-setting early vote turnout. In the 45 days prior to the election, 2,418,550 Georgians cast their ballots with 209,147 voting by mail and 2,209,403 in person, Kemp said.
Over the next few days, counties will finalize tabulation of provisional ballots. County election results must be certified by Tuesday, after which they will be transmitted by law enforcement to the Secretary of State’s office in Atlanta.
The Secretary of State uses these certified results to conduct the canvass for the election and certify statewide results. After certification, candidates who failed to receive a majority of votes but finished within 1% of the top vote-getter can request a recount.
Election results listed on the Secretary of State’s office website are unofficial until the state canvass is certified. Results provided online before certification do not include provisional ballots or write-in candidates.
Kemp has been Secretary of State since January 2010. Among the office’s wide-ranging responsibilities, the Secretary of State is charged with conducting secure, accessible, and fair elections, the registration of corporations, and the regulation of securities, charities, and professional license holders.
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