Actor and director Tyler Perry, who experienced difficulty receiving his mail-in ballot in the Georgia Senate runoffs, may have a new franchise entry on his hands: Madea Goes to the Polls.
Perry, an Atlanta resident, first reported experiencing issues with his ballot in a tweet on Monday morning.
“I ordered my absentee ballot on December 2nd. I’m told it was mailed on the 4th. I still don’t have it!” he wrote.
Hey Georgia,
Is anyone else having this problem? I ordered my absentee ballot on December 2nd. I’m told it was mailed on the 4th. I still don’t have it!
— Tyler Perry (@tylerperry) January 4, 2021
Stacey Abrams, the failed 2018 Georgia gubernatorial candidate known for her Fair Fight Action voter outreach organization, replied to Perry with directions to vote in spite of the missing ballot.
“Hey @tylerperry, we’ve got you,” she wrote. “Vote in person on Election Day! Just tell the person at the check-in table that you wish to cancel your ballot & vote in person. Go to http://iwillvote.com to find your assigned polling place.”
Hey @tylerperry, we’ve got you. Requested a ballot but haven’t received it? Vote in person on Election Day! Just tell the person at the check-in table that you wish to cancel your ballot & vote in person. Go to https://t.co/lClnYYPro6 to find your assigned polling place. https://t.co/laQR8qgHlD
— Stacey Abrams (@staceyabrams) January 4, 2021
Perry, one of the highest-paid celebrities in the world, according to Forbes, then revealed that he decided to fly home to ensure his vote in the Senate runoffs was counted.
“I flew home because I didn’t get it. I will be there early in the morning,” he replied to Abrams. “Too important to miss. Too important to miss!”
Hey @staceyabrams, I flew home because I didn’t get it. I will be there early in the morning. Too important to miss. Too important to miss!
— Tyler Perry (@tylerperry) January 4, 2021
After casting his ballot in person, the creator and star of the Madea movie franchise posted a video encouraging his followers to “get out and vote.”
— Tyler Perry (@tylerperry) January 5, 2021
So far, more than 3 million voters have cast early ballots in the Georgia Senate runoffs. More than 2 million of these votes were recorded in person, with an additional 928,069 submitted via mail.
The balance of power in the U.S. Senate will be determined in Georgia’s special elections. Incumbent Republican Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler are facing grueling challenges from Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, respectively. If either of the Republicans prevails, the GOP will retain control of Congress’s upper chamber. Should both Ossoff and Warnock emerge victorious, Democrats would hold 50 seats including the two independent senators who caucus with the Democratic Party, thus requiring Vice President-elect Kamala Harris to break any tied votes.
