Georgia officials expecting 'record-breaker' for first day of early voting
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) said he expects a "record-breaker" for early voting, which opened Tuesday in the Peach State, even in the wake of devastation from Hurricane Helene that threatened to disrupt access.
"It looks like this will be a record-breaker for the first day of early voting — but we don't make predictions, we let the voters decide but it looks like we're going to have strong early voting today," Raffensperger said at a press conference at the Georgia State Capitol.
He added that the state has been working "overtime" to make sure early voting could start and absentee ballots could be sent out as scheduled.
"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,'" Raffensberger said, adding that early voting started on time in all 159 counties in the state.
The state secretary noted that as of almost 10:30 a.m. EDT Tuesday, the state already had more than 71,000 people vote early.
Hurricane Helene created new hurdles for voters and election officials alike in Georgia and North Carolina, threatening disruptions to the voting process — including power outages and road closures — in two of the most critical battleground states just weeks before Election Day.
But the Georgia secretary of state's office had started working before the storm landed to prepare for any potential disturbances, communications director Robert Sinners told The Hill last week.
“We have to let the first responders finish doing their jobs, but as power is restored and voting locations can be assessed, we will make sure that the upcoming election is safe, secure and convenient for all Georgia voters,” Raffensperger said at the time.
Last week, a federal judge declined to reopen voter registration in the state despite alleged disruptions noted in a joint complaint filed by the NAACP, the Georgia state conference of the NAACP and other advocacy groups.
Date: |
Topics
-
Top stories - CBS News
Early voting begins in Georgia despite damage from Helene
Early voting began Tuesday in Georgia in spite of the devastation dished out to the state from Hurricane Helene. CBS News reporter Jared Eggleston has more.3 hours ago -
Politics - The Hill
Early voting kicks off this week in Georgia and North Carolina: What to know
Early voting kicks off this week in the key battleground states of Georgia and North Carolina, giving voters an opportunity to participate in the democratic process at a time that’s more convenient ...2 hours ago -
Top stories - ABC News
Early voting starts in Georgia, putting sweeping election changes to the test
Early in-person voting kicks off in Georgia on Tuesday as uncertainty over new election rules looms large in a state that will decide this year's presidential election.20 minutes ago -
World - The Guardian
Harris rallies North Carolina crowd to ‘fight to realize the promise of America’ as Trump hits Arizona – live
VP attacks Trump’s spreading of hurricane misinformation as he tells Arizona crowd to vote to ‘take back our country’. Kamala Harris and Donald Trump spent Sunday trying to shore up political ...Yesterday - Donald Trump -
Politics - The Hill
Trump on early voting in Arizona: 'Go vote the minute the polls open'
As early voting opens in Arizona this week, former President Trump encouraged voters to go to the polls “the minute” they open. In a Sunday night Truth Social post, the former president posted ...Yesterday - Donald Trump -
World - Yahoo News
Mozambique Ruling Party’s Chapo Leads in Early Vote Tally
Yesterday -
Politics - The Hill
Georgia judge rules county election officials must certify election results
A Georgia judge ruled Tuesday that county election officials may not delay or decline to certify election results based on suspicions of fraud. Fulton County Superior Judge Robert McBurney wrote in ...5 hours ago -
Top stories - The New York Times
Local Officials Cannot Refuse to Certify Election Results, Georgia Judge Rules
The ruling cuts at the heart of a key argument made by right-wing activists since the 2020 election, when Donald Trump sought to disrupt the certification process as part of his bid to subvert the ...2 hours ago -
Top stories - NBC News
Local election officials in Georgia must certify results, judge rules
County election boards in Georgia are not allowed to refuse to certify election results, a state judge ruled on Tuesday.2 hours ago
More from The Hill
-
Politics - The Hill
Five takeaways from Trump's Bloomberg interview
Former President Trump on Tuesday sat down with the editor-in-chief of Bloomberg News for an expansive and at-times confrontational interview. The former president clashed with Bloomberg’s John ...22 minutes ago - Donald Trump -
Politics - The Hill
Chris Wallace: Debate with Harris ‘scared’ Trump
CNN anchor Chris Wallace said he thinks Vice President Harris “scared” former President Trump during their presidential debate, which is why there won’t be another meeting before Election Day. On ...23 minutes ago - Donald Trump -
Politics - The Hill
Trump: Wall Street Journal has been 'wrong about everything'
Former President Trump blasted the Wall Street Journal and other prognosticators in the financial sector who have predicted his economic plans will have a negative impact on the country's financial ...24 minutes ago - Donald Trump -
Politics - The Hill
Trump says he likes Mark Zuckerberg 'much better now'
Former President Trump said he likes Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg “much better now,” as the head of Facebook and Instagram increasingly looks to stay out of politics. “I actually believe he’s staying ...35 minutes ago - Donald Trump -
Politics - The Hill
Rufus Wainwright blasts Trump playing 'Hallelujah' at town hall: 'The height of blasphemy'
Rufus Wainwright says he's "mortified" that his version of "Hallelujah" was played at former President Trump's town hall this week, calling it "the height of blasphemy." The 51-year-old "Gay ...41 minutes ago - Donald Trump