Story perspectives

Georgia 2026 midterm early voting tops 190,000 ballots

By Drooid · Oct 15, 2026, 6:13 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Early voting for Georgia’s 2026 midterm elections opened on Oct. 13, 2026 at county sites.
Day-one in-person ballots exceeded 190,000, a 40 % rise over 2022.
Focus-group data show many swing voters are disappointed with President Donald Trump and are shifting toward Democrats.
Early October polls have Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff leading Republican Mike Collins by about eight points statewide.

History

Historical Context

On January 5, 2021 Georgia held two Senate runoffs—Kelly Loeffler vs. Raphael Warnock and David Perdue vs. Jon Ossoff. The contests took place as the COVID-19 pandemic intensified nationwide and drew broad attention, marking the first time Georgia’s Senate seats were decided in simultaneous runoffs, a precedent that shapes expectations for the 2026 race.

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Story summary

Early voting for Georgia’s 2026 midterm elections opened on Oct. 13, 2026 at county sites.
Day-one in-person ballots exceeded 190,000, a 40 % rise over 2022.
Focus-group data show many swing voters are disappointed with President Donald Trump and are shifting toward Democrats.
Early October polls have Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff leading Republican Mike Collins by about eight points statewide.

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