Georgia candidates ramp up efforts as early voting nears end with 1.8M ballots cast

Georgia is entering the final week of early voting ahead of the Nov. 3 general election, with nearly 1.8 million ballots accepted so far, according to FOX 5 Atlanta. This represents 23.7% of the state's 7.53 million active voters. The early voting period remains open through Friday, with voters able to check polling locations and hours via the state portal.

Democratic candidates for governor and U.S. Senate, including Keisha Lance Bottoms and Sen. Jon Ossoff, have been actively campaigning across Georgia to boost voter turnout, FOX 5 Atlanta reported. Bottoms emphasized the importance of maintaining voter engagement through ads, door-knocking, and phone calls, especially given the close margins and high spending in the races.

Ossoff urged Georgians to vote early as a way to respond to ongoing voting rights disputes, highlighting the historical significance of voting rights in the state. On the Republican side, gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson and Senate candidate Mike Collins have also been campaigning statewide, with Collins noting increased momentum since the first debate.

Absentee voting figures show 164,750 ballots requested and 82,740 accepted, with the absentee ballot request deadline having passed on October 23. The highest early voting turnout by age group is among voters aged 60-64, followed closely by those aged 65-69. Early voters are estimated to lean 54% Democratic, 41% Republican, and 5% other, based on a party-affiliation model from TargetSmart, though Georgia does not register voters by party.

Fulton County election officials have been finalizing security preparations during the early voting period, and an artificial intelligence scraper was reported to have accessed only public records, according to FOX 5 Atlanta. The final days of early voting are expected to be critical in determining turnout for the high-profile races in Georgia.