Early voting in a crucial US battleground state has seen unprecedented turnout, signaling heightened voter engagement and enthusiasm ahead of the upcoming elections.
Early voting for the US presidential election began on Tuesday in Georgia, a crucial battleground state, with record-breaking turnout. Gabriel Sterling, Georgia’s chief election official, announced that over 328,000 ballots had been cast already—more than twice the number recorded on the first day of early voting in 2020.
States can begin early voting up to six weeks before this year’s Election Day, set for November 5, giving voters the opportunity to sidestep crowds.
The timing varies by state, with Illinois having started voting on September 26. However, the majority of states initiate early voting in mid to late October. This week, polling stations open in Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Rhode Island, Tennessee, North Carolina; Louisiana; Washington; Massachusetts and Nevada.
Georgia is a pivotal state with significant influence over the election results. Additionally, six other states are deemed battlegrounds: Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
In an X post on Wednesday, Sterling described Georgia’s voter turnout as “spectacular” and “record breaking.” Meanwhile, at a campaign event in Atlanta, Republican candidate and former US President Donald Trump expressed his enthusiasm for the early voting numbers in the state. Despite losing Georgia to Joe Biden in 2020, he stated that “the votes are coming in at a nice level for us.”
Across the country, voter turnout has been significantly lower. According to analysts at Election Lab, just 5.5 million Americans have voted so far, compared to the 27 million who had cast their ballots by this time in the 2020 election.
Recent polls indicate that Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are in a tight race, with just under three weeks remaining until Election Day.
