A Week Before Georgia Runoff, Most Early Votes Have Been By Mail

Caption

Fulton County election workers sort absentee ballots during a pilot audit after the June 9 primary.

Credit: Stephen Fowler | GPB News

With just one week to go before the Aug. 11 primary runoff election, about two-thirds of the early votes cast have been by mail as Georgia continues to battle the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the state's absentee voter file, about 269,000 people have voted so far; 89,746 have been in person.

The combined presidential preference and general primary saw a record-setting turnout after the Republican secretary of state mailed absentee applications to 6.9 million active voters to encourage people to avoid showing up at the polls amid concerns about the spread of COVID-19.

MORE: Here’s What The Data Shows About Polling Places, Lines In Georgia's Primary

Runoffs typically have lower participation and, without a statewide contest, next week's vote is no exception.

In the 9th Congressional District, more than 140,000 ballots were cast in the general election. But so far, only about 34,000 northeast Georgians have weighed in whether Matt Gurtler or Andrew Clyde should be the Republican nominee and likely next representative. In the 14th Congressional District, only 27,000 ballots have been cast early in a race that features Marjorie Taylor Green and John Cowan, down from more than 108,000 in June. 

RELATED: Atlanta Hawks To Use NBA Arena For Early Voting

Fulton County, the epicenter of election mishaps during the primary and Georgia's most populous county, has seen 40,727 early voters, including 1,243 at the massive State Farm Arena early voting site that has close to 100 machines and no lines.

Early voting ends Friday.