Brad Raffensperger

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.

Georgia recorded its highest-ever first-day early voting turnout for a midterm election cycle, according to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger's office. More than 188,600 ballots were cast on the opening day, an increase of over 53,000 votes compared to the first day of early voting in the 2022 midterms.

Raffensperger pointed to the surge as evidence of voter confidence in the state's election system, which is administered by 159 county election offices. Local officials, including in Macon-Bibb County, described turnout as notably higher than typical for the start of early voting. Early voting continues on weekdays through Oct. 30, with Election Day set for Nov. 3. Strong early turnout figures are closely watched as a potential signal of overall engagement and participation levels heading into the midterms.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger announced that the state printed 5 million copies of a new "I Voted" sticker design for the general election, created by Atlanta artist Jon Penley. The sticker will be distributed to all 159 counties, though officials say counties can choose whether to hand out the new design, the traditional peach sticker, or both.

Raffensperger's office said Penley created the design as a favor, without payment, and the artist has a personal relationship with the secretary, who is leaving office next January. Penley is known for strongly conservative political views and has hosted campaign events for Gov. Brian Kemp and former Senate candidate Herschel Walker at his studio. He has also depicted Donald Trump in his artwork, including a piece commemorating the 2024 assassination attempt.

Supporters note Penley's broader body of work includes portraits of Democratic figures like John F. Kennedy and Michelle Obama, the latter held in the Barack Obama Presidential Library's collection. The design choice has nonetheless drawn criticism over the artist's political associations ahead of the election.

Georgia's Joint Election Equipment Specifications and Standards Committee, created by the legislature's Special Session Senate Resolution 3 EX and chaired by Sen. Max Burns and Rep. Victor Anderson, held its third meeting to evaluate requirements for the state's next election equipment, focused on hand-marked paper ballots produced via ballot-on-demand printing.

Secretary of state officials reviewed Georgia's voting system history since 2000, including 2005 touchscreen upgrades and 2006 electronic poll books. Cybersecurity experts, including Geoff Hale of the Center for Democracy and Technology and Michael Specter of Georgia Tech, testified that election infrastructure faces persistent cyber threats, though no confirmed vote-tally interference has occurred. Vendors and voting-integrity advocates, including Verified Voting's Mark Lindeman and Mojave Research's Jason Wareham, urged hand-marked paper ballots, independent security research access, and systems that "fail loudly" on errors, while preserving accessible ballot-marking devices for voters with disabilities.

Officials described the goal as a system that is easy to vote but hard to cheat, echoing Gov. Brian Kemp, with an aggressive timeline to get any new system to county officials for training ahead of future elections.

Election security has emerged as a flashpoint in Georgia's governor's race, with Democratic nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms calling for vote totals precise enough to eliminate any doubt about turnout, referencing the narrow 2020 margin that put the state under national scrutiny. Republican candidate Rick Jackson drew criticism after audio surfaced suggesting Gov. Brian Kemp would deploy the National Guard to monitor the election; Kemp's office pushed back, saying its approach to elections remains unchanged. Bottoms accused Jackson of echoing Trump-aligned election claims and pointed to the FBI's raid of the Fulton County elections office and a Justice Department subpoena for poll worker information as part of an ongoing federal investigation into the 2020 election.

Separately, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a Trump administration order letting the Department of Homeland Security compile voter eligibility lists for the U.S. Postal Service to check before mailing ballots. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has convened a bipartisan task force to combat election misinformation, while state lawmakers continue debating a new hand-marked ballot system.