Tuesday saw a record number of advance votes cast in Georgia, a crucial battleground state currently dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Helene and contentious election administration shifts that have sparked a barrage of lawsuits.
Gabe Sterling of the Georgia secretary of state’s office reported on X that more than 328,000 votes were cast on Tuesday. He added that as a result of the unprecedented first day of early voting and the approval of absentee ballots, more than 328,000 votes have been cast overall.
One of the most watched swing states in this election is the one that former President Donald Trump is attempting to retake after losing to President Joe Biden there by a narrow margin four years ago. Trump and his friends have made vain attempts to have his defeat overturned.
This year, such attempts have taken center stage after Republican members of the SEB authorized new modifications to the state’s election procedures. This has prompted Democrats and other parties to file legal challenges, many of which are still pending as election day draws closer.
Following Hurricane Helene’s devastating impact on multiple Southeast states last month, portions of the state are still recuperating. Election officials in Georgia claim that the hurricane did notaffect the absentee votes that were mailed out by the USPSaccording to schedule.
Just over 250,000 voters have requested absentee votes thus far. The number might increase to 300,000 within the next week or so, and it is anticipated that between 5 and 6% of all voters will cast absentee ballots this season, according to Republican SOS Brad Raffensperger’s Tuesday statement.
Experts speculate that early vote casting in person may become more enticing than the option of polling by mail due to recent state regulations that have tightened requirements and clamped off drop box availability.
Given that Georgia law now requires two Saturdays of early casting and permits two consecutive Sundays of early voting if a county requests it, it’s also feasible that the state will continue to experience a large number of early ballots.
Raffensperger stressed on Tuesday that measures are in place to ensure a secure election and that officials will randomly check voting equipment in addition to auditing each race.