Georgia Begins Early Voting for 2026 Midterm Races

Georgia's midterm election early voting began Tuesday for governor, U.S. Senate and statewide races, with voters casting ballots across the state as candidates compete for major offices including governor and senator.

The races include Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms facing Republican Rick Jackson for governor and Republican Mike Collins challenging incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, according to CBS News.

Andra Gillespie, an Emory University political scientist, said the Senate contest could influence control of Congress, with Republicans currently holding a 53-47 majority in the chamber.

"Control of Congress is what's most at stake, and that's really important," said Andra Gillespie, an Emory University political scientist.

Democrats would need to retain their current seats and gain four more to take control of the Senate, while Georgia election officials reported more than 2 million people voted in the May primary.

The May primary turnout represented about 28% of the state's active voters, according to the Georgia Secretary of State's office. Gillespie said strong views about government could increase participation in the November election.

"Turnout in midterm elections tends to be lower than it is in presidential election years. But this may be a year where compared to other midterm election years, we see pretty robust turnout levels because people have some very strong opinions about what is happening in our government," said Andra Gillespie.

Early voting continues through Friday, Oct. 30, with Saturday voting available on Oct. 17 and Oct. 24, according to election officials. Voting hours and locations vary by county.

Voters must be registered to participate and can check registration status and voting information through Georgia's My Voter Page, according to the Secretary of State's office.