(The Center Square) – With just seven days remaining until Election Day, record-breaking levels of voting continue in Georgia.
Two weeks after early voting first began, nearly half of all registered voters in the state have already cast their ballots.
“Almost every day has been a record breaker,” said Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on social media.
So far, 44% or 3.1 million of all the state’s registered voters have cast their ballots. The majority of those were through early voting, with nearly 3 million early in-person ballots submitted.
Another 340,000 absentee ballots have also been requested, but only about 200,000 of those have been returned to the state.
This is all according to information from the state’s Election Data Hub, which is updated periodically every day.
Initiatives from both Republicans and Democrats to “vote early” have likely played a role in those record-setting numbers.
Georgia’s 7.2 million voters will play a critical role in deciding the outcome of the election. With its 16 electoral votes, Georgia has long been considered one of seven consensus battleground states. There are no state level executive offices on the ballot, nor U.S. Senate seats, and all 14 congressional seats are forecast to remain with current parties in a 9-5 edge to the Grand Old Party.
In 2020, former President Donald Trump lost Georgia by just 11,000 votes. That was the first time a Democrat won the state since 1992.
Rural counties like Towns, Oconee and Rabun have the highest percentage of voters casting their ballots early. In the case of Towns County, which is located on the northeastern border with Tennessee, over 60% of registered voters in the county have already voted.
Of Georgia’s 159 counties, 17 have an over 50% turnout of registered voters.
So far, 50% of the voters have been white, while 40% have been Black. Both the youngest and the oldest voters are more likely to vote early or by mail.
Women have also been turning out in higher numbers, with 56% of all votes cast already coming from women and 44% from men.
Georgia does not release party affiliation data or turnout numbers.
Voters in the state only have four more days, until Friday, to cast their ballots early. Mail-in ballots must be received and reported by 8 p.m. on Election Day. Votes of military and overseas citizens have until Friday to arrive, but must be postmarked Nov. 5.
Trump is currently leading Project538’s polling average in Georgia by 1.5%, outperforming the 2020 polls at this same time by nearly 3%. His polling lead has remained steady in the state over the past month. 270toWin still lists the state as a “toss-up.”
