Ossoff defends Senate seat; Bottoms and Jackson vie for governor
The first day of early voting in Georgia for the November midterm elections produced 188,667 in-person ballots on Tuesday, the largest first-day total for a midterm election in the state’s history, according to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. Voters also returned 10,267 absentee ballots, according to the secretary of state’s office.
The first-day in-person turnout exceeded the 134,962 ballots cast on the first day of early voting ahead of the 2022 midterms by 53,705 votes. In 2018, the first-day total was 70,849 votes. “This record-breaking turnout proves that voters have confidence in the integrity of our elections,” Raffensperger said in a statement. “It’s a testament to our strong election system overseen by 159 of the best county election officials in the country.”
Georgia’s midterm elections are among the most closely watched in the country, particularly the contests for U.S. Senate and governor. Sen. Jon Ossoff, a Democrat, is fighting to keep his seat against Rep. Mike Collins, a Republican. President Donald Trump won the state by 2 points in 2024, and Ossoff has led in the polls.
In the race for governor, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, a Democrat, faces healthcare executive and billionaire Rick Jackson, a Republican. The seat is open because Republican Gov. Brian Kemp is retiring.
Black voters made up more than 36% of first-day votes, according to VoteHub, a 6 percentage-point increase from 2024.