Record Early Voting Turnout Kicks Off in Battleground State of Georgia.
Early voting in the US presidential election, particularly crucial in the contested state of Georgia, has seen a record turnout so far this year. With at least 328,000 ballots already cast as of Tuesday, the state’s top election official, Gabriel Sterling, revealed that early voter numbers have doubled from the first day of voting in 2020.
The US allows states to open early voting up to six weeks before Election Day, which is scheduled for November 5 this year. The commencement of early voting differs by state, with Illinois already allowing ballots to be cast on September 26. Most states initiate early voting in mid-to-late October, and polls are now open in Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Rhode Island, Tennessee, North Carolina, Louisiana, Washington, Massachusetts, and Nevada.
Georgia is a highly contested state anticipated to play a significant role in the election’s outcome. Apart from Georgia, six other states are considered battlegrounds: Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
Sterling described voter turnout in Georgia as “spectacular” and “record-breaking” in an X post on Wednesday. Former US President Donald Trump, who lost the state to current president Joe Biden in 2020, expressed enthusiasm for early voting at a campaign event in Atlanta, stating that “the votes are coming in at a nice level for us.
However, nationwide turnout has been less impressive. According to analysts at Election Lab, only 5.5 million Americans have cast their ballots so far, a stark contrast to the 27 million recorded at this point during the 2020 election.
Recent polling indicates that Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are running neck-and-neck with just under three weeks remaining until Election Day.