We made it.
Happy Election Day, Georgia.
It is officially 7:00 a.m. on the first Tuesday of November, also known around here as “election day.”
After enduring months of campaign stops, political advertisements and dire fundraising text alerts, voters in battleground Georgia finally get to help answer a very important question: who will be the 47th President of the United States?
Will Kamala Harris become the country’s first female president, or will Donald Trump become only the second ex-president to return to office after having lost re-election?
It marks the end of a wild election year that just months ago was a completely different race. President Joe Biden had initially planned to seek re-election to a second term, and Republicans were increasingly optimistic about their chances of recapturing a state Trump narrowly lost in 2020.
But it was Biden’s July exit and swift endorsement of his vice president that transformed this race for the White House — and the electoral map. Tightening poll numbers and numerous visits from the candidates themselves point to a close race in a state that Republicans cannot win the presidency without.
The campaigns were making their closing pitches to Georgia voters as late as Monday evening: the Harris campaign threw a get-out-the-vote pep rally in Piedmont Park headlined by Ciara, 2 Chainz and other music stars. Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance, meanwhile, stopped to rally supporters in suburban Cobb County.
More than four million Georgians have already voted either early or by mail, making turnout on Tuesday all the more interesting. Republican voters are known to turn out in large numbers on election day, but several Democratic-leaning counties appear to be lagging behind the statewide turnout average. Which of these voters will show up in larger numbers on this final day of voting?
And how soon can we expect to know who won the state? Thanks to a new state law, election officials are now required to count early votes first. And because we are no longer in a pandemic, mail-in ballots will be not prolonging the tabulation like they did four years ago.
In other words, we could have a pretty good idea of where things are headed roughly an hour after the polls close. But Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and his office are preparing to defend the results from conspiracy theories and lawsuits from the eventual losing candidate.
“You may see some extra drama from fringe activists,” Raffensperger said at his election eve press conference. “Whatever they say, we know this to be true here in Georgia: It is easy to vote and hard to cheat. Our systems are secure and our people are ready.”
Those who have not yet voted have until 7:00 p.m. to do so. Visit mvp.sos.ga.gov to make sure your assigned voting location has not changed since your last trip to the polls.
And remember: the presidential race isn’t the only thing on your ballot! Races for Congress, the state legislature, district attorney, school board and other local offices are also up for grabs. If you want to take a quick look at your ballot before heading to the polls, check out this handy guide from the AJC and enter your home address.