How do Georgia candidates vote?

Republican nominee Rick Jackson pledged during the GOP primary that he would be President Donald Trump’s “favorite governor.” But he has consistently used the president’s most-maligned method of voting in recent years — absentee ballots.

Jackson’s opponent, Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms, has not voted absentee in recent years. Neither have Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff or his Republican opponent, U.S. Rep. Mike Collins.

Those are a few of the findings of an Atlanta Journal-Constitution review of the voting habits of 38 Georgia candidates for federal and state offices. The analysis also shows Republican candidates were more likely than Democrats to vote on Election Day in recent years, while Democrats strongly preferred to vote early in person. Only 16 of the 38 candidates have voted by absentee ballot in recent years, and none more so than Jackson.

The glimpse of candidates’ voting habits comes as Trump continues to blast absentee voting while voting absentee himself. The president has claimed, without evidence, that absentee voting is a source of widespread voting fraud, and some of his supporters want him to ban the kind of no-excuse absentee voting that Georgia permits. Legal experts say he has no legal authority to do that.

Some Georgia candidates share the president’s concerns. State Rep. Tim Fleming, the Republican nominee for secretary of state, said absentee ballots and drop boxes “are where irregularities occur and are the most susceptible to fraud.” He favors additional restrictions.

“With the amount of time Georgia allows for in-person early voting, including Saturday voting and Sunday voting in many counties, absentee voting should be reserved for those who are serving in the military, disabled, elderly or have a valid excuse,” said Fleming, who has not voted absentee in recent years.

Others vowed to preserve Georgia’s no-excuse absentee voting system, even if they don’t use it themselves. State. Rep. Tanya Miller, the Democratic nominee for attorney general, said she would take anyone to court — including the president — “if they try to interfere with our elections, or trample on Georgians’ rights.”

“Our elected leaders must make it easier, not harder, for eligible Georgia voters to vote in our state,” said Miller, who has not voted absentee in recent years.

The AJC used publicly available voter participation and absentee voting data from the Secretary of State’s Office to examine the voting histories of this year’s Georgia candidates for U.S. House and Senate, as well as candidates for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and secretary of state. The AJC reviewed their voting histories from 2020 to present — a period that includes dozens of primary, general, runoff and special elections.

The AJC determined how each candidate voted — either absentee, early in-person or on Election Day. A few findings stood out:

• The analysis found a clear partisan split on candidates’ voting habits. Though candidates of both parties favored early in-person voting, Democrats (68% of the time) were more likely to use that method than Republicans (50% of the time). Republicans (43% of the time) were more likely than Democrats (24% of the time) to vote on Election Day.
• There was no partisan split on absentee voting — Democrats voted absentee 8% of the time and Republicans 7% of the time.
• Absentee voting was most prevalent during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, when the 38 candidates voted absentee 22% of the time. That figure declined to 12% as the pandemic lingered in 2021 and to about 3% in 2024. That’s comparable to the 5% of all Georgians who voted absentee in the November 2024 general election.
• Jackson voted absentee in all 10 elections in which he cast a ballot since 2020 — by far the most of any candidate. The other top candidates using absentee voting were Democrats: secretary of state nominee Penny Brown Reynolds voted absentee five times, while U.S. House District 13 nominee Jasmine Clark, U.S. House District 10 nominee Pamela DeLancy and U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath all voted absentee four times. U.S. Rep. Brian Jack voted absentee three times — the most of any Republican besides Jackson.

Jackson campaigned as a close ally of Trump during the GOP primary for governor. But he has since sought to align himself with Republican Gov. Brian Kemp amid the president’s sagging approval numbers.

Jackson has voted absentee in the past but plans to vote in person in this election, according to Garrison Douglas, his campaign spokesperson. Douglas said Jackson has confidence in the current system under Kemp.

“Like Governor Kemp has done, as governor, Rick will make sure Georgia remains a place where it is easy to vote and hard to cheat,” Douglas said.

State Sen. Brian Strickland, the Republican nominee for attorney general, supports Georgia’s voting system. He and his wife, Lindsay, have a tradition of voting on Election Day.

“I believe that those who can vote in person should do so, but everyone has different preferences as to what works for them,” Strickland said. “I believe everyone should experience their right to vote and be sure their vote was counted fairly.”

State Sen. Josh McLaurin, the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor, was more pointed in his defense of Georgia’s voting system.

“We have anti-fraud measures that have been tested by the GBI and found to work,” McLaurin said. “Absentee voting is a convenient way for many to vote and should not be restricted just because Trump and others are upset about losing.”