Georgia election record broken: more than 300,000 votes on first day of early voting

Georgia set a new early voting record last Tuesday, recording more than 328,000 votes on the first day of the process. Gabriel Sterling, director of operations for Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger's office, shared this figure in a post on the social networking site X.

"With the record-breaking 1st day of early voting and accepted absentees we have had over 328,000 total votes cast so far," Sterling reported. He also noted that this new record far exceeds the previous mark of 136,000 votes set in 2020. "That’s 123% higher than the old record for the 1st day. Great job counties & voters," Sterling tweeted, thanking voters and counties for their efforts.

Impact on the political context

The high turnout has a significant impact on the current political context, as Georgia is considered a key battleground in the elections. In this scenario, former President Donald Trump leads in the polls against Vice President Kamala Harris. According to data from The Hill/Decision Desk HQ, Trump has 48.3% support to Harris' 47%.

Preparations and challenges

Raffensperger had predicted a high voter turnoutand underscored the state's efforts to ensure that early voting began on time, despite the havoc wreaked by Hurricane Helene.

"When you think back to where we were two and a half weeks ago, this is a cause for celebration. So many people said, ‘What’s going to happen? There’s no way you’ll have elections starting in Georgia on time,'" Raffensperger told a news conference, confirming that early voting began as planned in the state's 159 counties.

Changes to election rules

The state also announced changes to electoral rules. A judge ruled that a new rule that would require a hand recount of ballots on election night will not be implemented before the November election, which could affect the logistics of vote counting.

In addition, it was established that Georgia election officials will not be able to delay or refuse to certify the results of the November presidential election.