(The Center Square) – More than 272,000 voted early as of noon Tuesday, setting a new record, according to the Office of the Georgia Secretary of State.
The number reflects a 3.7% voter turnout. The number of registered voters in Georgia is 7,358,636, according to an interactive page on the secretary of state’s website.
More Democrats than Republicans cast their ballots. The statistics show more than 149,000 early voters are Democrats and more than 119,000 are Republicans. The number of nonpartisan voters is nearly 4,200.
Bleckley County in South Georgia is experiencing the largest voter turnout with 11.2%. Butts County, home to Republican Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, candidate for governor, has the second-highest turnout at 9.09%.
The two counties with the lowest early voting totals are in South Georgia. Clinch County’s turnout is 1.46% and Miller County is at 1.58%, according to the data.
Voter turnout is 28% higher than in 2022, the last time Georgia elected a governor, according to gubernatorial candidate and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. He said the numbers are a testament to the state’s strong voting system.
“This record-breaking turnout is a testament to a strong election system, overseen by the best in the business – county election directors who are dedicated to serving their communities,” Raffensperger said in a statement. “Georgians know it’s easy to vote and cast a ballot securely in the Peach State.”
At the top of the ticket is the race for Georgia governor, which has become contentious among Republicans.
The latest polls show Jackson and Jones in a close race, with Jackson holding a slight lead, according to 270towin.com. But depending on the poll, the number of undecided voters ranges from 19% to 30%.
Political newcomer Rick Jackson and Jones dominated a recent debate sponsored by the Atlanta Press Club.
Jones accused Jackson of “telling lies about me” and telling lies about himself to the public. The lieutenant governor said an article in the New York Post said Jackson hired “illegal immigrants” to work for his company. Jones asked if he had any “illegals” working for him right now or in the past.
“I don’t know,” Jackson said. “I hire thousands of people. Other people hire them. We use the I-9 every day.”
Raffensperger defended his office’s record on elections amid questions about election security. He said that the Heritage Foundation and Fox News had said Georgia’s elections were among the best in the country.
Attorney General Chris Carr’s campaign received a boost from former Gov. Nathan Deal through an endorsement.
Clark Howard Dean, Gregg Kirkpatrick, Ken Yasger and Thomas Williams are also on the Republican ticket but are all polling at less than 1%.
In the Democratic race for governor, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is leading Olu Brown, former Republican Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, Amanda Duffy, former state Sen. Jason Esteves, former state Rep. Derrick Jackson, and former Georgia Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond. The polls show that a large number of Democratic voters are also undecided.
Early voting for the May 19 primary continues through May 15.
