Poll: Half of voters plan to cast their ballots early — with a stark partisan divide
NBCOCT 12 2024
Georgia, a key swing state in the 2024 presidential election, witnessed a record turnout for the first day of early voting, with 328K ballots cast on Tuesday.
The previous first-day record — set in 2020 when 136K voted — had been broken by 1 p.m. Tuesday, a day after state Judge Robert McBurney barred election officials from delaying or refusing to certify poll results over allegations of fraud or errors.
In a separate case on Tuesday, McBurney also overturned a rule requiring a hand count of ballots in Georgia after polls close on Nov. 5, stating that a hand count was "too much, too late" and would cause "a substantial threat of irreparable harm."
Georgia has yet again emerged as a critical battleground in the 2024 presidential electionstate, with record-breaking early voting numbers on Tuesday highlighting its pivotal role. ThisWith isits particularly significant given Georgia's potential to decide the electoral outcome between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump., Withthe itsrest competitiveof demographicsthe andcountry historymust offollow closein results,Judge GeorgiaMcBurney's voterfootsteps turnout and electionprotect administrationthese processesstate couldinstitutions proveshould decisiveTrump-aligned officials attempt to meddle in determining the nextelection presidentbefore, on, or after Nov. 5.
As Georgia’s reportsrecord-breaking unprecedented early votingvoter turnout, Judgedemonstrates Robertthe McBurney'seffectiveness banningof theits handelection countinglaws. ofDespite ballotscriticisms comeslikening atthem ato crucialvoter momentsuppression foror the pivotalracist battlegroundJim stateCrow inera, thethese 2024laws presidentialhave race.balanced McBurney'ssecurity decisionwith accessibility, citingensuring thevoter "11th-ID requirements and-one-half hour"streamlined natureprocesses both prevent fraud and maintain ease of voting. While the changes,court protectsmay establishedhave vote-countingstuck proceduresdown amidsome recordnew voterrules, participation.the Themost rulingimportant reflectsone broader— tensionsvoter betweenIDs election— administrationis andreminding attemptsGeorgians tothat altertheir votingelection proceduresis infree keyand swing statesfair.