It’s Election Day and Georgia voters are casting ballots to select Democratic and Republican candidates for scores of races — including governor, the U.S. Senate, state legislators and members of Congress.
Follow The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for unparalleled coverage all day. When polls close at 7 p.m. the AJC is your source for results. Our team of experienced journalists will be with the leading candidates around the state, and will help you make sense of what happened and what comes next.
In Middle Georgia, outside a polling station at a Lutheran church in the heart of Macon’s Ingleside neighborhood, voter David Dickey said his motivation to cast a ballot was, as he put it, to “save the Constitution.”
“To me, it is vote for and elect Democrats to counter (President Donald) Trump’s influence, especially in Congress. … The possibility is, and what I’m fully hoping for, is enough people are angry at Trump and angry at the Republicans to vote Democratic,” said Dickey, 77, who lives in a senior community nearby.
“I really do believe that there will be not just a blue wave,” he went on, “but a blue tsunami.”
“You think so?” said a woman, a neighbor of his, standing nearby. “I don’t know.”
Georgia Republican and Democratic voters alike are still uncertain about which gubernatorial candidate they'll pick to represent their party, according to recent surveys.
Candidates must clear 50% of the vote to avoid a runoff, but that could be difficult in today's contested primaries.
Atlanta's former mayor, Keisha Lance Bottoms, has led the Democratic field in every primary poll. But in only one of eight surveys does her support top 50%,
On the Republican side, Rick Jackson and Lt. Gov. Burt Jones lead polls, with many voters undecided. But 30% of respondents also told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's pollsters in late April that they don't know who they'll vote for.
Check out a full breakdown of the top polls for the governor's race.
Atlanta resident Juanita Murray, 72, voted at ChristChurch Presbyterian in Buckhead at 9:20 a.m. Spending 10 minutes in the booth, Murray said casting her ballot was “a nice experience.”
“It was good. I had no problems. It was easy, and the people at the polls were very nice,” Murray told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The AJC would like to know about your experiences at the polls. If you encounter unusually long lines, intimidation or other problems while voting today, please email us at politics@ajc.com.
You can also contact your county registrar's office.
Many Republican voters headed to the polls today have not decided who they'll pick in the U.S. Senate race, surveys show.
U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, U.S. Rep. Mike Collins and former football coach Derek Dooley are facing off for the GOP nomination to challenge incumbent Democrat Jon Ossoff in November.
While Collins has led most polls, his highest level of support was only just over a third of voters. Candidates need to exceed 50% of the vote to avoid a runoff.
Here's a breakdown of how Carter, Collins and Dooley are faring in more than a dozen polls, including one from late April by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Cobb County is contending with "technical issues" at some of its voting precincts and is relying on backup procedures, the county's elections department reported Tuesday morning.
Officials did not specify what kind of problems they are experiencing or at how many polling places, saying only "some election operations" are affected.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is asking for additional information.
Cobb said voting remains "ongoing" across the county and that technical teams and election officials are "actively working to resolve the issue and minimize disruptions."
"Voters are encouraged to remain patient as election staff works to address the issue and assist voters as quickly as possible," the county said in a news release. "No polling locations have stopped voting operations, and all eligible voters in line by 7 p.m. will be allowed to cast their ballots."
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who is also running for the GOP nomination for governor, kicked off Election Day by reassuring Georgians that “election integrity will be upheld.”
During a news conference Tuesday morning, Raffensperger said his office sent inspectors to 600 polling locations throughout the state to monitor processes and ensure things go smoothly.
“Despite what you have heard online, votes are received, inspected, counted and tabulated at the county level,” Raffensperger said.
Responding to some Republican candidates who have raised transparency concerns about the vote count, Raffensperger encouraged officials to visit county tabulation centers to observe the process.
“If you’re concerned with the integrity of elections, you should visit one or several of 149 county tabulation centers today, instead of trying to confuse voters,” he said.
On Monday, state Sen. Greg Dolezal, who is vying for the GOP nomination for lieutenant governor, and two other candidates filed suit, seeking a court order that would allow poll watchers and members of the State Election Board observe the Secretary of State’s emergency operations center.
Raffensperger will spend the morning and afternoon visiting election hubs in Fulton, DeKalb, Gwinnett and Cobb counties to meet with election directors.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson has an early reason to celebrate – but it has nothing to do with his political prospects.
The Supreme Court of Georgia issued a decision this morning related to one of Jackson’s companies. It reverses a lower-court ruling that had forced him to pay nearly $3.8 million in damages to a former associate from a real estate development joint venture.
The case, argued before the justices late last year, is dense. It has to do with arbitration agreements and when an entity that’s not a signatory can be compelled to arbitrate their claims through one.
If you’re looking for a little light reading, you can check out the justices’ decision.
That fact that it comes today of all days is probably a coincidence, but a good reminder to us political junkies that the world doesn’t stop just because it’s Election Day.
If you're voting today in Fulton and DeKalb counties, you can check the wait before heading to your polling location.
In Fulton County, all locations have waits under 30 minutes, according to their map. The longest wait this morning in DeKalb County was 10 minutes at the Austin Drive precinct.
A reminder: You must vote at your assigned polling place today. Not sure where that is? Check your voter registration with the Secretary of State’s My Voter Page tool.
Fulton: Click here to view.
DeKalb: Click here to view.
Wondering what your fellow Georgians think about their primary options? The AJC has exclusive polling of likely Republican and Democratic primary voters.
Check out the results of those polls for:
Or you can read all the responses for both polls:
Voting in the party primaries can make you dizzy.
Maybe you've got an idea about the topline races, but farther down the ballot, things get a little murky. Who are these candidates? What do these questions mean?
Check out this video from the AJC and get grounded on what to expect.
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