Early voting for Georgia's midterm election begins Tuesday, with races for governor, U.S. Senate, secretary of state and attorney general on the ballot.
Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms faces Republican Rick Jackson in the governor's race. Republican Mike Collins is challenging incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff.
According to Ballotpedia, 538 candidates filed to run for office in the Georgia General Assembly this year, the most state legislative candidates since 2010. By comparison, previous election cycles averaged roughly 429 candidates.
Because ballots are longer and more competitive from statewide contests down to local district races, election workers urge voters to review a sample ballot before stepping up to the machine.
In Gwinnett County, election officials reported smooth operations and steady voter participation from the moment doors opened. By noon on day one, more than 3,000 ballots had already been cast. By 2:30 pm, more than 8,000 had voted.
"I'm excited about how much turnout there's been," said voter John Deputy at a Lawrenceville polling site. "It seems like a lot of people are here to vote their mind and their conscience."
For Deputy, part of his vote was looking at rising costs, saying that he and his family wanted to get prices under control.
"We just probably believe in a little bit more of Democratic policies, so happy to be here and vote for that stuff," he said.
"I did my research before I got here so I wouldn't have to ponder while I was voting," said voter Michelle Macintosh. "I just want to get it out of the way, especially while I have the time."
Voter Pamela Clark echoed that sentiment, noting that studying a sample ballot beforehand made a significant difference.
"It helped me a lot, especially with the special elections," Clark said.
Clark, who arrived at the polls with her granddaughter, pointed to her purse when asked what was her vote was about.
"The economy and the finances situation are important," Clark said.
Other voters looked at the bigger picture and the long-term direction of the country.
"It's just very chaotic right now," Macintosh said. "Looking for things to kind of settle down, and hopefully, you know, not just for me, but for my kids and my grandkids, that we have a different future."
For voter Joe Daponte, accountability and misinformation were top of mind.
"As far as what's important, I would have to say truth is the biggest thing," Daponte said. "And there's a lot of things out there that just aren't true, and that's all there is."
Behind the scenes, local election workers have spent all year gearing up for high turnout. Kelvin Williams, the acting elections supervisor for Gwinnett County, said preparation has been key to keeping wait times manageable.
"We've had a busy year all year. We've had four special elections here in Gwinnett County, nonstop testing equipment," Williams said. "I'm training all officials in Gwinnett County — we train about 2,000 officials, so it's been a busy year for us."
Williams also offered an essential reminder that while paper materials are welcome in the booth, personal electronics are prohibited.
"You can bring your sample ballot into the voting booth with you," Williams said. "Remember, cellphones are not permitted inside the location."
Andra Gillespie, an Emory University political scientist, said the Senate race could help determine which party controls Congress.
"Control of Congress is what's most at stake, and that's really important," Gillespie said.
Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate. Democrats would need to retain their current seats and gain four more to take control of the chamber.
According to the Georgia Secretary of State's office, more than 2 million people voted in the May primary, representing about 28% of the state's active voters.
Gillespie said strong opinions about the direction of government could drive participation in November.
"Turnout in midterm elections tends to be lower than it is in presidential election years. But this may be a year where compared to other midterm election years, we see pretty robust turnout levels because people have some very strong opinions about what is happening in our government," Gillespie said.
Early voting runs through Friday, Oct. 30, and includes Saturday voting on Oct. 17 and Oct. 24. Hours and locations vary, so voters should check their county's schedule before heading out.
Voters must be registered to participate. They can check their registration status and voting information on the state's My Voter Page.
