Early voting draws record turnout in Georgia

File photo (NowHabersham.com)

Georgia voters turned out in record numbers to cast ballots ahead of Tuesday’s May 24 partisan primary. Through Thursday, May 19, more than 700,000 people voted —a 180% increase from the same point in the 2018 primary election and a 149% increase from 2020.

More ballots were cast in the Republican primary than in the Democratic, driven largely by the hotly-contested GOP races for governor and U.S. Senate.

Statewide turnout through May 19 shows 710,137 Georgia voters cast early ballots in-person and by mail. Of those, 57% voted in the GOP primary. Georgia allows voters to cross over primaries, so not all voters vote their party affiliation.

“The record early voting turnout is a testament to the security of the voting system and the hard work of our county election officials,” says Georgia Secretary of State Raffensperger.

As of May 19, 16% of Habersham County’s active registered voters had cast primary ballots: 92% of those 4,383 early ballots were in the Republican primary.

The May 24 primary will determine the party nominees to run in the November 8 general election. Polls Tuesday will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

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