Political Insider

Georgia voters smash the state's early voting record

LEDE November 1, 2012 DECATUR A steady stream of early voters is seen at the Dekalb Voter Registrations and Elections offices on Memorial Drive in Decatur Thursday November 1, 2012. White voters continue to lose clout in Georgia. For the first time in state history, they make up less than 60 percent of registered voters expected to participate in this year's presidential election, according to new numbers from the Secretary of State's office. Among "active" registered voters, blacks remained steady at about 30 percent. The biggest difference, however, came from a growing pool of voters who declined to identify themselves by race or ethnicity. One caution: These numbers excluded some registered voters because of inactivity, although they remain eligible to vote in Georgia. KENT D. JOHNSON / AJC An early voting site in Decatur in 2012 (AJC/Kent Johnson)
LEDE November 1, 2012 DECATUR A steady stream of early voters is seen at the Dekalb Voter Registrations and Elections offices on Memorial Drive in Decatur Thursday November 1, 2012. White voters continue to lose clout in Georgia. For the first time in state history, they make up less than 60 percent of registered voters expected to participate in this year's presidential election, according to new numbers from the Secretary of State's office. Among "active" registered voters, blacks remained steady at about 30 percent. The biggest difference, however, came from a growing pool of voters who declined to identify themselves by race or ethnicity. One caution: These numbers excluded some registered voters because of inactivity, although they remain eligible to vote in Georgia. KENT D. JOHNSON / AJC An early voting site in Decatur in 2012 (AJC/Kent Johnson)
By
Feb 27, 2016

More than 400,000 Georgians have already cast ballots for the presidential primary, setting a new state record for in-person early voting.

Secretary of State Brian Kemp said Friday that at least 405,000 ballots were cast for Tuesday's presidential primary election, though a breakdown of which party received the ballots and where they were cast won't be available until Monday. Earlier returns last week showed a majority of the early votes - about 61 percent - went to Republicans.

The previous early voting record was set in 2008 when 271,418 Georgia voters cast ballots in-person ahead of primary day.

Early in-person voting began Feb. 8 and ended Friday, and a surge of interest in the rollicking race for the president has boosted turnout.

Polls show Republican Donald Trump leads a crowded field in Georgia that includes Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson. On the Democratic side, surveys give Hillary Clinton the edge over Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Voters can check their Election Day voting locations and view a sample ballot here.

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About the Author

Greg Bluestein is the Atlanta Journal Constitution's chief political reporter. He is also an author, TV analyst and co-host of the Politically Georgia podcast.

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