Georgians continue to break early voting records

Voters line up inside the Smyrna Community Center for the first day of early voting Oct. 17. (Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder)

Have you cast your ballot yet? If so, you’re far from alone.

As of Monday morning, the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office reports more than 830,000 people have early voted or turned in an absentee ballot – breaking midterm turnout records by 50% or higher each day of early voting. A statement from the office adds that numbers are “within striking distance of the 2020 Presidential election turnout.”

But this year also marks the first major election since the passing of Georgia Senate Bill 202, which banned the distribution of food and drinks to voters waiting to cast a ballot, made it easier to challenge the eligibility of other voters, and other restrictions to voting rights in the state.

On this edition of “Closer Look,” Common Cause executive director Aunna Dennis talks about the effects of the senate bill, what her organization is watching for in election integrity, and what she believes is behind the record-breaking early turnout.

“In Georgia, we are resilient. We show up, show out. We are ready to really make our voices amplify and heard at the polls,” Dennis said. “I’m also not surprised because there has been so much attention and enthusiasm about our elections here in Georgia.”