Turnout rises in Georgia primary heading into election day
The early votes are in, and over 550,000 people already have cast their ballots before election day Tuesday in Georgia’s primary.
Three weeks of early voting ended with a busy day Friday as 93,000 in-person voters showed up at voting locations across the state.
The last chance to vote is on election day, when precincts will be open across Georgia for races including Congress, the Supreme Court of Georgia, the General Assembly and county offices.
In all, early turnout was lower than in the primary two years ago, when more competitive statewide races were on the ballot, such as contests for governor and U.S. Senate.
Over 513,000 people voted at in-person early voting locations this year compared to nearly 796,000 in 2022. An additional 37,000 voters have returned absentee ballots so far in this year’s primary.
More people have participated in the Republican primary than in the Democratic primary — 288,000 to 254,000. Another 9,000 people have cast nonpartisan ballots.
The winners of partisan primaries will advance to the general election in November. In some cases, the primary will effectively decide the winner in races where candidates do not face an opponent from another party.
Georgia is an open primary state, meaning voters can choose whichever party’s primary they want to participate in.
Voters can find their election day precincts and view sample ballots through the state’s My Voter Page at www.mvp.sos.ga.gov.
Election 2024: The June runoff elections
WHEN IS THE RUNOFF? A number of races will need to be settled by a runoff on Tuesday, June 18. Early voting is June 10-14. Check your voting information, including ballot details at Georgia Secretary of State.
Learn more: Follow state and congressional election news, and the presidential race, on our Politics page. News about city and county elections is on the metro Atlanta page. Coverage and information will also be found in AJC print and ePaper editions.
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About the Author
Mark Niesse is an enterprise reporter and covers elections and Georgia government for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is considered an expert on elections and voting. Before joining the AJC, he worked for The Associated Press in Atlanta, Honolulu and Montgomery, Alabama. He also reported for The Daily Report and The Santiago Times in Chile.
