As of noon today, the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office says record breaking early in-person voting continues in the state.
Voters have been flocking to the polls since in-person balloting started on Monday, October 12th.
Close to 880-thousand early in-person ballots have been cast. Coupled with mail in voting, that brings the total number of votes cast to one-point-five million.
Compared to the 7th day of early voting in 2016, the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office says there’s a 156% increase in total turnout.
Early in-person voting ends on Friday, October 30th.
Along with choosing the next U.S. Presidential Administration, voters are choosing members of the U.S. Congress, judges, members of the Georgia Legislature, and local office holders.
There are also three statewide ballot measures that voters are deciding. According to Helen Butler, Executive Director of the Civil Rights organization Peoples Agenda, each measure has to be answered with a Yes or No vote on the ballot.
When it comes to mail-in voting, the U.S. Postal Service indicates there’s no need for return postage, but Butler advises adding a postage stamp. “Give yourself enough time for it to get to your local Board of Elections. Put enough postage on it so that it will get there”, adds Butler, “it is out of abundance of caution, even though the postal service says you do not have to.”
Voters may also walk in the ballot to their county registrar’s office, or place it in a drop box located in the county where they are registered to vote.
The deadline for getting the mail-in ballots in is Election Day, November 3rd at 7pm.