Georgia voters turned out in record numbers on the first day of early voting for the primary elections, with day-one turnout increasing by 29% compared to the last midterm elections.
On the first day of early voting, 35,352 Georgians cast ballots this year, up from 27,298 on the first day of early voting in 2022 and 9,266 in 2018. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s office called the 2026 first-day numbers a “record turnout.” One thousand seven hundred and thirty-two people cast absentee ballots on the first day, as well.
Georgians have a lot on the ballot this year, between statewide and local races, House midterm elections, a U.S. Senate election, and the open race to fill Gov. Brian Kemp’s (R-GA) term-limited seat.
Over 70,000 Georgians had cast early in-person votes as of Wednesday morning. Democrats are showing up in greater numbers, casting around 40,100 early and absentee votes so far, compared to Republicans’ 30,800 ballots.
On Monday, the first day the polls opened, 21,490 Democrats voted early, opposed to 15,119 Republicans. On Tuesday, 17,125 Democrats voted early, while only 14,692 Republicans voted early. Although Democrats came out stronger on both days, the party saw a 20% drop-off in participation between day one and day two, while Republicans saw only a 2.8% drop-off.
The earliest votes have come in from Cobb, Fulton, and Gwinnett counties — some of the most densely populated counties around Atlanta that all went for former Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024 by large margins.
Cherokee County, which voted over 69% in favor of President Donald Trump in 2024 and also voted for former GOP candidate David Perdue over Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) in 2020, could be one to watch for Republicans, as it has also seen a large early voter turnout, reporting the eighth highest number of early votes across all counties.
The General primary election will be held on Tuesday, May 19, and early voting will close on the same day.
The big primary results to watch will be around Georgia’s gubernatorial and GOP Senate races. In the governor’s race on the Democratic side, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is leading the pack, according to polling, with former Republican Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, former state Sen. Jason Esteves, and former DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond trailing behind her.
RICK JACKSON LEADS GOP CANDIDATES IN NEW GEORGIA GOVERNOR POLL AS EARLY VOTING KICKS OFF
In the governor’s race on the GOP side, businessman Rick Jackson is slightly leading Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, with Raffensperger and state Attorney General Chris Carr trailing the pack.
In the Senate race for Republicans, Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA), Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA), and former University of Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley are vying to see who will take on Ossoff in the general election, with Collins leading in recent polling.