With one day left to vote early in the state of Georgia, records are already being broken.
More than 2.5 million ballots, both mail-in and in-person, have been cast across the state over the past two weeks, as of 6:30 a.m. on Friday morning, shattering the record set in the 2022 midterms.
"Georgians continue to head to the polls in record numbers because they trust the system," Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said in a statement on Oct. 29. "This record-breaking in-person early voting turnout wouldn't be possible without our county elections officials who work every day to ensure our elections are free, fair, and fast."
Early voting began on Oct. 13 and it was clear from the jump turnout would be high for this election cycle. The first day
of early voting broke the existing one-day record, and the numbers continued to climb throughout the early voting period.
Early voting ends at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30 (though times may vary by early voting location). Here's how it compares.
How do 2026 midterms compare to 2022?
At the end of the in-person early voting period in the 2022 midterms, a total of 2,289,951 Georgians had voted. The state beat that number during this election cycle by 1:35 p.m. on Thursday, with another day and a half of early voting to go.
"Including absentee-by-mail ballots, overall turnout as a percent of active voters remains on pace with overall 2022 turnout," according to the Secretary of State's Office.
The total turnout for both mail-in and early in-person voting accounts for roughly 33%, or one-third, of Georgia's voting population.
The ballot looked similar in 2022, with the governor's race and U.S. Senate race key to both the state and national outlook.
Incumbent Republican Gov. Brian Kemp faced Democrat Stacey Abrams for the governor's seat. If Abrams had won, she would have become the first Black female governor in American history. Now, Keisha Lance Bottoms is hoping to secure that title in her gubernatorial race against Republican healthcare CEO Rick Jackson.
There was also a crucial Senate race between now-Senator Rev. Raphael Warnock and former college football star Herschel Walker. In that race, a Democrat was hoping to upset a Trump-endorsed candidate. In 2026, Democrat Jon Ossoff is hoping to keep his seat from the Trump-endorsed Mike Collins.
The other state races — lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general and commissioners — are also on the ballot again, meaning the results from this year's midterms will show how the state has shifted (or stayed the same) in the past four years.
'Georgia has created a roadmap,' Kamala Harris says in Atlanta town hall
On Thursday night, former vice president Kamala Harris joined NAACP president Derrick Johnson, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and others for a town hall event at the Elizabeth Baptist Church in South Fulton.
The town hall followed an event at Clark Atlanta University where Harris appeared with Ossoff, and both appearances centered around mobilized young and Black voters ahead of election day.
When discussing the early turnout in the midterms so far, including high turnout from Black voters particularly in the Atlanta metro, the former vice president said "Georgia has created a roadmap" for other Southern states to follow.
"What we are seeing right now, rightly, because the people of Georgia and others in the South are claiming their right to be seen and heard. I do believe that if we continue with this level of activism and energy, a year from now, finally, certain people will start to understand the South must be invested in," Harris said.
Johnson called the turnout "phenomenal," and said he was feeling "energized" by what he was witnessing in Georgia.
"We are feeling the impact of why elections, in fact, really, really matter. And in this moment, I am energized by being in Georgia because you all are setting the trend," Johnson told the crowd. "What is happening in Georgia is phenomenal. 159 counties, and (if) the Black folks show up strong in nine of the 159? Game over. The momentum that you display here will be viral because it opens up what's possible in South Carolina, in Mississippi, in Louisiana, in North Carolina, and you name the place where we have critical mass of our community."
When is election day?
Election day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. All polling locations will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. If you are already standing in line to vote by 7 p.m., you will still be allowed to cast your ballot past the deadline.
For more information about your voting location, visit the GA My Voter Page.
Irene Wright covers midterm races in Georgia as the Atlanta Connect reporter with USA Today’s Deep South Connect team. Find her on X @IreneEWright or email her at ismith@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What is early voting record in Georgia? Record broken with a day left
