Georgia early in-person voting passes 2022 record with one day left

Georgia's in-person early voting has passed its recent record with one day still left. As of Thursday afternoon, 2,294,275 Georgians had voted early in person, the Secretary of State's office said ¹. In 2022, the total was 2,289,951 ¹.

Counting absentee ballots sent by mail, this year's overall numbers are on pace with total 2022 turnout, the office said ¹. A later update showed 2,359,330 early in-person votes accepted. Fulton County led with 285,482, followed by Cobb and DeKalb counties ¹.

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Early voting continues Friday, Oct. 30. On Election Day, Nov. 3, polling places are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. ¹².

What officials and analysts say

Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, credited county election workers for the turnout. His office's release is the source of the record figures ¹.

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Georgians continue to head to the polls in record numbers because they trust the system,

Robert Y. Shapiro, a Columbia University political scientist, told Newsweek that statistical models show a big edge for Democratic candidates in the early vote ¹. That is an expert's reading of models. It is not an official count of how people voted.

A Republican strategist, Chip Lake, said earlier this month that early data did not look good for his side. He also said Republican numbers were expected to rise on Election Day ².

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I've seen the data from the first week and it's not very favorable for my party,

The final push

Former President Barack Obama rallied Wednesday in Morrow with Democratic governor candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms and Sen. Jon Ossoff, who is seeking reelection ¹. Former Vice President Kamala Harris went to Macon on Thursday with Ossoff ¹. President Donald Trump rallied over the weekend in Perry for Republican governor candidate Rick Jackson and Senate candidate Mike Collins ¹.

Polling is mixed in the governor's race. A Quantus Insights poll of 755 likely voters, taken Oct. 15-17, had Jackson at 48.2% and Bottoms at 46.6%. It carries a 7.6-point margin of error, so the race is too close to call ¹. A September YouGov poll had Jackson at 45% and Bottoms at 44% ¹.

Ossoff led Collins in both polls, 51.8% to 44.9% in Quantus and 51% to 41% in YouGov ¹. Republican Gov. Brian Kemp cannot run again because of term limits, so the governor's office is open ¹.

Why it matters

Heavy early turnout does not decide who wins. It does show how many people are taking part, and it comes as Trump's approval rating and his ratings on the economy, immigration and the Iran war have slipped, Newsweek reported ¹. Trump won Georgia by roughly 2 percentage points in 2024 ¹.

Raffensperger is running his last election as Secretary of State ². Any Georgian who has not voted can still do so Friday or on Tuesday ¹.

The Record

1. Nov 4, 2022Georgia's 2022 early in-person total was 2,289,951 ¹.
2. Oct 19, 2026Georgia passed 1 million early votes, including accepted absentee ballots, by 6 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 19 ².
3. Oct 29, 2026In-person early votes reached 2,294,275 by Thursday afternoon, topping the 2022 total ¹.

Sources

1. Newsweek, “Georgia Early Voting Breaks Record Amid Obama, Trump and Harris' Final Push” (2026-10-29). newsweek.com/georgia-early-voting-breaks-record-amid-obama-t
2. Atlanta News First, “Georgia on pace to hit a million early in-person votes in record time” (2026-10-19). atlantanewsfirst.com/2026/10/19/georgia-pace-hit-million-ear

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