Georgia sets new early voting record, participation strong in other key battleground states

Georgia voters set a new record for the first day of early voting in a midterm election this week, casting more than 188,600 ballots in-person as control of Congress hangs in the balance.

According to the Georgia Secretary of State’s office, a total of 188,667 Georgians voted in person on October 13, which was about 40% more than the 134,962 voters who cast early in-person ballots on the first day of the 2022 midterm elections. In 2018, the comparable figure was 70,849.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said on Wednesday that the record-breaking turnout proves that “voters have confidence in the integrity of our elections.”

The record opening comes as Democrats and Republicans compete for control of the U.S. House and Senate. Georgia is one of several states drawing national attention with competitive Senate races, alongside Michigan, Ohio and North Carolina, where voters are also casting ballots before Election Day on November 3.

Georgia’s early voting record

Georgia’s in-person early voting period runs from October 13 through October 30. Voters can cast ballots at designated locations in their county, with hours and weekend availability varying by location. The deadline to request an absentee ballot is October 23.

In addition to the first-day in-person total, state officials reported that 10,267 absentee ballots had been accepted. Those ballots are counted separately from in-person early votes. Georgia’s opening-day record refers specifically to ballots cast in person, rather than the combined number of in-person and absentee ballots.

USAToday reports that Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms and Republican Rick Jackson are polling within a few points of each other for the governor’s race, with the latest Decision Desk HQ poll on Oct. 4 showing Jackson at 48.8% and Bottoms at 46.8%.

Ohio reports more than 228,000 early votes

Ohio reported 228,470 early votes as of October 13, according to Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s office. The total included 194,841 in-person early ballots and 33,629 returned absentee ballots.

“Ohioans are making their voting plans and casting their ballots, and our bipartisan election officials are ready to serve them,” LaRose said in the state’s October 13 announcement. 

Ohio’s in-person early voting continues through November 1. The state publishes statewide and county-level figures through its Absentee and Early Voting Dashboard.

NBC's affiliate WCMH says that according to a co/efficient poll of 925 likely Ohio voters, Republican Vivek Ramaswamy polled at 45% to Democrat Amy Acton’s 43% in the governor’s race, and Republican Jon Husted had 44% to Democrat Sherrod Brown’s 43% in the Senate race.

Michigan sees more than 440,000 mail ballots returned

As of October 13, 440,677 voters had returned mail ballots, while more than 2 million voters had requested them, according to the Michigan Department of State.

Deputy Secretary of State Aghogho Edevbie urged voters not to wait until the last minute. “Election Day will be here before we know it, so make your plan to vote today,” Edevbie said on Tuesday. 

The state’s figures distinguish between requests and completed returns. More than 2 million requests indicate how many voters sought mail ballots; the 440,677 returns measure ballots that had been sent back to election officials by the reporting deadline.

Michigan’s statewide in-person early voting period runs from October 24 through November 1. Some communities offer additional opportunities. Mail ballots must be received by the appropriate election clerk by 8 p.m. on November 3 to be counted.

NBC News notes the conventional wisdom favors Democrats in early voting in Michigan, but that in 2024, Michigan voted for Donald Trump by a 1.4-point margin.

North Carolina’s early voting period underway

North Carolina began in-person early voting on October 15, with the period scheduled to continue through October 31.

The Call the Map early-voting tracker reported 237,539 ballots cast or returned through October 15, combining mail ballots and in-person early votes. The tracker’s historical comparisons showed the total was higher than at a comparable point in 2022 but lower than in 2024.

However, the timing of mail-ballot distribution differed between election cycles in North Carolina, so it is difficult to directly compare election year early voting totals. The New York Times is reporting that Roy Cooper, a Democrat and popular former governor, is leading Michael Whatley, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee, by between seven and 13 points in recent polling.