Tens of thousands of Georgia voters cast ballots during the first week of early voting for the May 22 primary election, with more Republican voters turning out than Democrats so far.
Statewide, 41,657 people voted through Thursday for candidates running for governor, Congress, the state Legislature and several statewide offices, according to the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office.
During the first four days of early voting, 21,365 voters pulled Republican Party ballots compared to 19,389 Democratic Party voters. Another 903 voters cast non-partisan ballots.
Georgia has open primaries, which means voters can choose either party’s ballot without having to register with that party.
Turnout is down from 2016, when 70,810 people had voted at the same point in the early voting period. More voters usually participate in elections during presidential election years.
The early voting figures include in-person advance voting and mailed-in ballots.
Early voting began April 30 and lasts for three weeks before the May 22 primary.
More information: Visit PoliticallyGeorgia.com for full coverage of Georgia’s key races.
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