Georgia saw a record turnout of voters as early voting began for the presidential election between Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump to be held on the 5th of November. By 4p.m. local time, more than 252 000 voters had cast their ballots, almost double the 136 000 who turned out on the first day of early voting for the 2020 election, Georgia’s No.2 election official Gabriel Sterling said on Tuesday, the 15th of October, reports Reuters.
Georgia is one of seven states whose vote will be crucial in the election.
” Spectacular turnout,” Sterling wrote on social media.
According to the University of Florida, early voting – either in person or by mail – has become increasingly popular, with almost one in seven voters taking advantage of it in 2020.
Trump expressed his enthusiasm for early voting in Georgia at a campaign event in Atlanta. “The votes are coming in, and they’re coming in at a level that’s good for us,” he said.
Donald Trump, in an effort to prevent his loss to Joe Biden in 2020, falsely claimed that mail-in ballots were being falsified.
Some Republicans still insist that voters should only be able to vote in person on election day, although party officials are urging supporters to vote in advance.
According to Election Lab, 5.5 million Americans have already voted nationwide this year.
By contrast, 27 million people had voted so far in the 2020 elections, as voters sought to avoid crowded polling stations during the Covid-19 pandemic.
As in some other states, Georgia has strengthened its vote-by-mail laws, requiring voters who wish to vote in absentia to show proof of identity and limiting the number of locations where they can cast their ballots.
A Georgia state judge temporarily blocked a rule requiring hand-counted ballots in the 2024 election, saying last-minute changes should be avoided before the election.
A new Reuters/Ipsos poll SHOWED a slim Harris lead over Trump, 45% to 42%, keeping the two in a tight race to win the 5th of November elections.
Although voters seem relatively eager to vote, neither candidate was popular with the majority of voters. Only 46% of voters polled said they had a favourable opinion of Harris and 42% said the same of Trump.
National polls, including Reuters/Ipsos surveys, provide insights, but the outcome of the election depends on the results of each state’s Electoral College. Harris and Trump are very similar in the main battleground districts and many polls are within the margin of error.