Georgia sures 2 million early voters, smashing records
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Election Day is just under two weeks away, and more than 2 million Georgians have already voted early.
Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger gave an election update Wednesday morning from the state Capitol as Georgia continues to shatter early voting records.
With a week and a half to go, almost 30% of voters in the state have already cast their ballot.
On Wednesday, Georgia voters sured the 2 million mark, and as of Thursday at 1:30 p.m. sured the 2.125 million mark.
“I’m a poll worker for the day of. So, I wanted to make sure I had the opportunity to exercise my right to vote while I go and others when they come in on Nov. 5 to vote. And it was just also the excitement to be, you know, be able to vote early,” said Melissa Johnson, who voted Wednesday at the Augusta-Richmond County Municipal Building.
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So far, state data says around 28,000 people have come out to vote in Richmond County out of the 129,000 ed.
In Columbia County, there have been 33,000 people come out to vote with more than 100,000 people that are ed.
With Election Day looming, people say it’s important to make your voice heard.
“Just want to encourage people to get out and vote, exercise your right to vote. It is your opportunity to make your voice heard. Take advantage of the short lines. So come on out and let’s get this done,” said Lauren Green.
IN AUGUSTA...
- The Harris-Walz campaign held a bus rally in Augusta on Wednesday. Augusta Commissioner Jordan Johnson ed the DNC chairman and others to encourage everybody to get out and vote.
During a news conference Wednesday in Atlanta, Raffensperger reported that 20 noncitizens were removed from the state’s voter rolls after an audit that began over the summer.
“All 20 of these voter registrations have been canceled, and all of them are being referred to local prosecuting law enforcement,” said Raffensperger.
He said 156 others were flagged by the voter registration system but they need further human investigation.
Raffensperger’s chief operating officer, Gabriel Sterling, said Georgia has a strong system on the front end of voter registration.
About 27% of all ed voters have voted early, and now that they’ve hit the two million mark, the Secretary of State’s Office is pushing to break even more records.
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By the end of the early voting period, Raffensperger says they project hitting just shy of 4 million early voters. He said lines have been minimal across the state with no major hiccups.
Sterling doubled down on stopping the spread of misinformation, both by foreign powers and some of Georgia’s own elected officials.
He referenced a case in Whitfield County in which someone’s printed ballot did not reflect the choices they made on the machine.
He said “there is literally zero, and I’m saying this to certain congresspeople in the state, zero evidence of machines flipping votes. That claim was a lie in 2020 and it’s a lie now,” said Sterling during the Wednesday morning press conference.
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We are just 18 days away from election day, and Georgia has already seen record-breaking numbers at the polls in early voting.
He said if you see something hyper-partisan on social media, take a second look.
“We need to be as discerning as we can with the information that we see. One of the things I’ve been telling people is if you see information that really scratches that partisan itch on the hard left or the hard right, it probably isn’t true and to investigate multiple sources,” said Sterling.
On Tuesday, Sterling cited an article from the Associated Press saying U.S. intelligence officials warn Russia and Iran may fuel violent post-election protests.
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Early voting began last Tuesday with a state record for voter turnout during the start of the advance voting period. The records continued all week.
He reposted the story on social media, saying:
“We need to be mindful of the fact that our enemies want us fighting each other and will take steps to drive Americans further apart. Be aware that this is happening so you aren’t manipulated by those that want to do us harm. There will be some instances of human error, like in this case, but that cannot undermine our election.”
Raffensperger said despite the noise, Georgia continues to break records during early voting.
“This is proof in Georgia, it’s easy to vote and hard to cheat,” he said.
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Richmond County advance voting locations and schedule:
- Linda W. Beazley Community Room in the Municipal Building, 535 Telfair Street. Oct. 15- Oct 19, Oct. 21 - Nov. 1, from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Henry Brigham Community Center, 2463 Golden Camp Road. Oct. 15-Oct 19, Oct. 21-Oct. 26, Oct. 28-Nov. 1, from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Warren Road Community Center, 300 Warren Road. Oct. 15-Oct 19, Oct. 21-Oct. 26, Oct. 28-Nov. 1, from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Robert Howard Community Center at Diamond Lakes. 103 Diamond Lakes Way. Oct. 15-Oct 19, Oct. 21-Oct. 26, Oct. 28-Nov. 1, from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Absentee Drop Box, Municipal Building, 535 Telfair Street. Oct. 15-Oct 19, Oct. 21 - Nov. 1, from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Columbia County advance voting locations and schedule:
- Oct. 15-18 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Oct. 19 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Oct. 21-25 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Oct. 26 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Oct. 28-Nov. 1 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Building G3 (Board of Elections), 610 Ronald Reagan Drive in Evans.
- The former Euchee Creek Library, 5907 Euchee Creek Drive in Grovetown.
- Columbia County School District Department Complex, 4395 Riverwatch Parkway in Evans.
Voters need to show any one of these photo IDs at the polls:
- Any valid state or federal government-issued photo ID, including a free ID card issued by your county registrar’s office or the Georgia Department of Driver Services.
- Georgia driver’s license, even if expired.
- Valid employee photo ID from any branch, department, agency, or entity of the U.S. government, Georgia, or any county, municipality, board, authority or other entity of the state.
- Valid U.S. port ID.
- Valid U.S. military photo ID containing a photograph of the voter.
- Student photo ID card issued by a Georgia public college, university, or technical school.
- Valid tribal photo ID containing your photograph.
Voters unable to provide photo identification can vote through a provisional ballot. They will need to provide a copy of their ID within three days after the election to their county board of elections and registration.
Columbia County leaders change polling location due to Helene damage
Due to damages from Hurricane Helene, the polling location at Savannah Rapids Pavilion will be changed.
Doss says some polling locations will change because of damage from Hurricane Helene.
If you vote at Henry Brigham Community Center, you now report to the senior center next door. For the Robert Howard Community Center, voting will be in the gym.
“The voting room that we would normally vote in did have a tree fall on the building. So, therefore, they have a big gaping hole in the building, there was another room that we thought we were going to be able to use on their complex but, unfortunately, the HVAC unit also took a hit, so right now the building does not have power,” said Doss.
But other locations should be good for early voting.
In Richmond County, it’s from 8:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.
There also will be voting on Oct. 26.
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