Georgia Midterms: 2.8M ballots cast in record early vote

More than 2.8 million Georgians voted in advance of the 2026 midterm elections, setting a new state record for early participation. The secretary of state's office reported 2,810,170 total early ballots as of 9:30 p.m. Friday. This figure includes 2,691,841 in-person votes and 118,329 absentee ballots.

The in-person total broke the previous record set during the 2022 midterms, which saw nearly 2.3 million votes. The overall early turnout of 2,810,170 eclipses the 2.5 million votes cast in the 2022 election. State officials calculate that this participation rate represents approximately 37.3% of all registered voters in the state.

Early voting locations closed at 7:00 p.m. Friday. Voters who did not cast a ballot during the advance period must wait until Tuesday, Nov. 3, to vote. On Election Day, voting is restricted to the specific neighborhood precinct assigned to each voter.

Georgia law requires voters to present a valid government-issued photo ID upon check-in. Accepted forms include a Georgia driver's license, even if expired, a U.S. passport, or a free voter ID card issued by county registrars or the Department of Driver Services. Other valid options include federal, state, or local government employee photo IDs, U.S. military IDs, and tribal photo ID cards.

Election officials urge voters with unreturned absentee ballots to act immediately. Official county drop boxes located inside early voting sites closed Friday evening. After that date, completed absentee ballots must be hand-delivered directly to the county registrar's office.

The deadline for hand-delivery is 7:00 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 3. Georgia law does not accept postmarks, meaning ballots received after 7:00 p.m. on election night will not be counted. Voters who requested an absentee ballot but choose to vote in person instead must bring the unvoted paper ballot to their polling place so election workers can cancel it on site.