Early voting polls opened for the second day on Sunday for the Georgia Senate runoff deciding whether Democrats expand their Senate majority.
After the first day of voting on Saturday, more than 90,000 early and absentee votes were tallied, according to figures from the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office posted as of early Sunday morning. By the end of Day 2, voter turnout is expected to top six figures, according to Gabriel Sterling, a top Georgia election official.
Turnout has been especially strong among black voters, who have cast 41,195 — or 46% — of the 90,357 votes so far, according to Sunday morning state figures. Women made up 56% of votes cast to date, and the demographic groups with the highest turnout were voters between the ages of 50 and 70 years old and young people (18-24 years old.)
Early voting opens up as campaigning enters an especially nasty phase with opponents Herschel Walker and incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA).
In the first round of voting, Warnock led Walker by just 37,000 votes out of 4 million, falling short of the 50% threshold, triggering a runoff.
Georgia election officials have cautioned about drawing comparisons between early voting numbers and last year’s contentious runoff between Warnock and Republican Kelly Loeffler because of a shorter runoff period and not having three races on the ballot. Still, early numbers appear strong.
The first day of early voting attracted twice as many voters as in 2018, according to the Washington Post.
Saturday early voting almost didn’t happen, but Warnock and his allies successfully challenged GOP state officials in court and won to open up early voting following the Thanksgiving holiday.
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Those taking to the polls appeared for a variety of reasons— students home for Thanksgiving, first responders with busy schedules, dedicated voters who wanted to cast their ballot as early as possible, and even people seeking respite from holiday visitors.
“We got a house full of company. This gave me a good excuse to get out for a little,” Bill Chapel, a Walker supporter from Bartow County, told the outlet.
Notably, the leading Democrat in the country, President Joe Biden, and leading Republican, former President Donald Trump, have both opted not to campaign for their respective candidates in the election, perhaps due to worries about galvanizing the opposing side. Instead, several leading Republicans, including Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, have gone out to campaign for Walker.
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Warnock holds a major advantage over Walker in terms of funding going into the runoff, possessing nearly three times more campaign funds than his Republican counterpart. Federal Election Commission filings from Nov. 16 show that Warnock had $29 million, compared to Walker’s $9.8 million in cash on hand, CNBC News reported.
Much of the campaign was marked by personal attacks from each side. Warnock amplified bombshell allegations against Walker that he pressured women to get abortions when they became pregnant with his child, accusations that damaged Walker’s perception as an anti-abortion candidate. Warnock has also questioned Walker’s intelligence while portraying him as not serious and a liar, the Associated Press reported.
Walker has repaid Warnock, a Baptist pastor, in kind, repeatedly questioning his opponent’s faith and morality. Walker has called into question his support for abortion and for alleged squalid conditions at an Atlanta apartment building connected to Warnock’s church. He has also accused the Democrat of being a “negligent” father, and even made an attack ad featuring Warnock’s ex-wife.
