More people voted on Tuesday than the first day of early voting in 2022

Georgians showed up in force Tuesday. Day one early voting turnout exceeded the first day of early voting in the 2022 midterms.

In all, more than 188,600 voters cast ballots in-person on Tuesday. More than 10,200 voters have returned mail ballots.

Tuesday’s showing surpassed in-person turnout numbers for any single day of early voting during the previous midterm election cycle in 2022 except for the final day that year, when about 203,000 voters cast ballots.

The turnout reflects high interest in the midterm elections that will shape control of Congress and the makeup of state government. Voters will select one of Georgia’s two U.S. Senate seats, the state’s next governor and many other statewide officers.

Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger framed the high turnout as a reflection of confidence in the state’s elections.

“Yesterday’s turnout proves that voters have confidence in the integrity of our elections,” he said in a statement. “It’s a testament to our strong election system overseen by 159 of the best election officials in the country.”

In April, an Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll found a sizable chunk of voters said they weren’t confident the primary elections would be conducted fairly.

Women are outpacing men during early voting so far, making up about 53% of total turnout.

Early voting started Tuesday and runs through Oct. 30. Officials do not tabulate votes until Election Day, which is Nov. 3.