Georgia Secretary of State

Early voting began Tuesday in Georgia under a new State Election Board rule requiring poll workers to write each voter's name on a numbered list after check-in, a measure officials say is meant to maintain accurate voter records and create a paper trail of who cast ballots. Early voting runs through Oct. 30, ahead of Election Day on Nov. 3. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger's office reported a first-day record of 188,667 in-person ballots, up from 134,962 in 2022 and 70,849 in 2018, plus over 10,000 absentee ballots. Black voters made up more than 36% of first-day votes, a 6-point increase from 2024. Raffensperger called the turnout a sign of voter confidence in the state's election system.

Voters are deciding several high-profile contests, including governor and U.S. Senate. Sen. Raphael Warnock cast his ballot on the first day alongside Democratic gubernatorial candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms, who faces healthcare executive Rick Jackson for the seat being vacated by Gov. Brian Kemp. Sen. Jon Ossoff, seeking a second term against Republican Rep. Mike Collins, also voted before the two debated that evening. Both races are among the most closely watched nationally, with control implications for the Senate drawing heavy turnout and scrutiny over election administration.

Florida Republicans showed a marked shift in voting behavior ahead of this year's primary election compared to the last open governor's race in 2018. State Division of Elections data show about 422,000 Republicans voted by mail this cycle, down from over 621,000 in 2018, while in-person early voting jumped from roughly 300,000 to nearly 450,000. Democrats' habits changed less, roughly matching 2018 patterns for both mail and early in-person voting.

Analysts point to President Trump's repeated criticism of mail voting as a likely driver of the GOP shift, along with a 2021 Florida law requiring voters to request mail ballots each election cycle rather than every other cycle. Nearly 2 million Floridians had voted early or by mail as of Monday, with Republicans slightly outnumbering Democrats. The contested four-way GOP gubernatorial primary, featuring Byron Donalds, Jay Collins, Paul Renner, and James Fishback, is fueling Republican turnout, while Democrats face a less competitive race led by David Jolly. Experts say the net effect on overall turnout remains uncertain.