MACON, Ga. — Georgia already broke a record in its first of early voting, according to the Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
On Monday, 27,298 Georgians cast their ballots in-person.
It's three times the number of early voters who turned out for the first day of the 2018 primary election and double the number for the June 2020 primary.
Also, an additional 2,719 absentee ballots have been returned statewide so far.
Ashlyn Webb talked to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger Tuesday about turnout, voting expectations, and implementing the new election law.
"It's never been easier to vote in Georgia, but it's also very difficult to cheat. We have the appropriate guardrails of accessibility and to security," Raffensperger told 13WMAZ.
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger says Georgia may see more voters this election than in the 2018 election. The state's new election law may play a part in that. It now requires counties to offer at least 17 days of early voting.
"Back in 2018, we had 4 million voters. In 2020, we had 5 million voters. This year, we expect something in between, but we had such strong population growth, and both sides, there's a lot of candidates out there. Very important races in both political parties. People are just energized in getting out there to pick their favorite person for each of those spots," Raffensperger said.
"I think this is good for voting. The more opportunities we get to vote, the better," said Mercer University political science professor Chris Grant.
Grant says Georgia often ranks lowest in voter turnout across the country.
"I would like to see us move up on that. But that requires people to take the time and the effort to get out and vote," Grant said.
Raffensperger says another key change is in absentee voting.
Now, you must request your application at least 11 days before Election Day so the deadline for the May 24 primary is Friday, May 13.
The completed ballot deadline remains unchanged--7 p.m. on Election Day either by mail or an absentee drop box.
You also must have photo ID.
"98.5 to 99 percent of all Georgians have a driver's license number. If you don't have that, [use] Social Security Number, [the] last four digits. If you don't have that... [use] military ID and other forms," Raffensperger said.
The new ID requirement means the state doesn't rely on signature match anymore. Grant says this new change could be concerning.
"The driver's license numbers and the ability for somebody to misrecord the information they need to have on your ballot and having a ballot that's turned away because of this could really be a problem," Grant said.
Early voting runs until May 20.