More than 188,600 Georgians voted in person on the first day of early voting, a midterm record and about 53,000 more than the same day in 2022, according to the Georgia Secretary of State. With the Senate seat held by Democrat Jon Ossoff in play and President Trump rallying in Dalton on Friday for Republican Mike Collins, the number is the first hard data point in the state's biggest race.
What the state's own numbers show
The Secretary of State's office announced on October 14 that early voting opened Tuesday, October 13, with 188,667 in-person ballots, up from 134,962 on the first day in 2022. The first day of the 2018 midterm drew 70,849. Another 10,267 absentee ballots were accepted that day.
Two days in, FOX 5 Atlanta reported nearly 346,000 Georgians had voted. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger told the station, "Voters right now, they are just energized." Nearly 4 million Georgians voted in the 2022 midterms, per FOX 5, and Raffensperger said he expects this year's numbers to beat that record.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. Photo: Mthassinger, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.
Raffensperger's read on it
The release is a victory lap for the state's election system. "This record-breaking turnout proves that voters have confidence in the integrity of our elections," Raffensperger said, adding that it is "a testament to our strong election system overseen by 159 of the best county election officials in the country."
It is also a pattern. WABE reports that the May primary passed 1 million early votes, well above the 857,000 set in the 2022 primary. Georgia voters keep showing up early.
Official record
Georgia Secretary of State news release, "Georgians Shatter First Day Early Voting Record," October 14, 2026. Live turnout figures are posted on the state's election Data Hub, which the office labels unofficial.
"This record-breaking turnout proves that voters have confidence in the integrity of our elections." — Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger
Trump lands in Dalton
Trump held his rally Friday at Dalton Municipal Airport, with Collins and gubernatorial nominee Rick Jackson on stage. FOX 5 Atlanta noted it was the first time this fall the two Republicans have shared a platform. Vice President JD Vance had already campaigned in Atlanta on Wednesday, the Daily Signal reported.
The message was turnout. Collins told voters it is "all about turnout," and Jackson called the election "a clear choice," per FOX 5 Atlanta's rally coverage. Democrats are chasing the same voters. Ossoff urged supporters to vote early in person, and Keisha Lance Bottoms, Jackson's Democratic opponent for governor, pointed to the 2018 governor's race and said, "Just 21 votes per precinct."
President Trump at a Turning Point Action "Build the Red Wall" rally in Phoenix in April 2026, not the Dalton event. Photo: Gage Skidmore, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
What a record does and does not tell you
Not as much as either side will claim. Georgia voters do not register by party, so a big first day cannot be sorted into red and blue ballots. Raffensperger's own framing is about confidence in the system, not about who is winning.
The polls that exist favor Ossoff, and none are recent enough to reflect this surge. A Quantus Insights survey of 645 likely voters taken September 14 to 16 had Ossoff at 48.2 percent and Collins at 44.4, with a 4.3-point margin of error, per WRDW. WTOC reported a YouGov poll with Ossoff up about 10 points, while an InsiderAdvantage poll had the governor's race virtually tied.
Early voting runs through October 30 and Election Day is November 3. Both parties spent the week telling their voters not to wait. The first-day record shows Georgians heard it. Who it helps will not be clear until the count.
Top photo: Georgia State Capitol, Atlanta. Photo: Andre m, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
