Early USA Voting Kicks Off in Georgia With High-Stakes Governor, Senate Races

Early USA Voting Kicks Off in Georgia With High-Stakes Governor, Senate Races

USA VALDOSTA, Ga.—Early voting began Tuesday in USA Georgia, where residents are choosing whether a 23-year streak of USA Republican governorship will continue and if their representation in the U.S. Senate will remain solely held by Democrats.

For the Senate, voters are deciding between Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.), backed by President Donald Trump, and Democratic incumbent Sen. Jon Ossoff. Meanwhile, former USA Atlanta Mayor Keisha Bottoms, a Democrat, is fighting for the USA governor position against Republican billionaire Rick Jackson.

USA Early voting for Georgia's midterm election begins USA Tuesday, with races for governor, U.S. Senate, secretary of state and attorney general on the ballot.

Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms faces Republican Rick Jackson in the USA governor's race. Republican Mike Collins is challenging incumbent USA Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff.According to Ballotpedia, 538 candidates filed to run for office in the Georgia USA General Assembly this year, the most state legislative candidates since 2010. By comparison, previous election cycles averaged roughly 429 candidates.Because ballots are longer and more competitive from statewide contests down to local district races, election workers urge voters to review a sample ballot before stepping up to the machine.The Epoch USA Times spoke with many voters on Tuesday across the state who were mainly split between the two main political parties, holding vastly different opinions on hot-button issues such as the economy, Iran, and immigration.

“Simple stuff like, I always drank Folgers coffee, I watched it go up $5, $6 in the last few months, now I’m drinking instant [coffee],” 60-year-old retiree Samuel Marshall said. “So I do the grocery shopping. … When you buy stuff, the same stuff for so long, a lot of people don’t notice, they just pick up stuff, but when you live on a budget, you see the increase gradually.”USA Democrats expressed a frustration with how Republicans have handled control of the White House, Senate, and House, while GOP supporters stood by their candidates, describing their desire for more Republican leadership in Georgia.

“It'll be OK. I think the president, the administration is doing the right thing,” said Mary Justice, a Venezuelan immigrant who came to the United States about 26 years ago.

In rural towns, one or two voters trickled into various precincts every 30 minutes. In a higher volume area, Valdosta, the flow of residents to cast their ballots at the only early voting location in the county, the Lowndes County Public Safety Training Center, was steady.

Voters honked their horns at one another in the small, cramped parking lot as some left and others arrived, quickly filling the few empty spots.One of those Peach State residents was Marshall, who has lived in Valdosta since 2006 and worked in the food industry for years.He told The Epoch Times he voted for Ossoff and Bottoms because he believed they would best address what he described as increasing prices on gas, food, and everyday items.

USA Republican voters pushed back on the idea of increasing costs, especially on gas, which they said was already elevated from the Biden administration.Mary and her husband Greg Justice said the Iran war has had some effect on the prices at the pump, but added that it’s a short-term inconvenience for a long-term solution: ensuring the Iranian regime does not obtain a nuclear weapon.

“I think we need to be aggressive, I think we need to finish it,” Greg said. “Imagine Iran with a nuclear weapon, and all of the turmoil they’re causing now and have been.”

Marshall disagreed with U.S. action against Iran, claiming that Trump did not have optimal personnel around him to help plan the initial attack and continued involvement.

“He thought he could just go in and bomb them away, and it didn’t happen,” Marshall said. “He got into this war, and he doesn’t know how to get out. He didn’t properly plan for it.”

One topic that Republicans and Democrats agreed on was a deep concern for the future of the country.Mary said part of her motivation to vote was “in the biblical way,” and Republicans are more “God-fearing people” that align with her religious beliefs.While referring to two U.S. citizens who were killed by federal agents amid immigration enforcement operations earlier this year, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, Marshall said the government should not “be in the business of killing people.”Mary and Greg both reasoned that the increased immigration enforcement under Trump is a direct result of the border crisis under the Biden administration.“What were they thinking?” Greg said. “They weren’t thinking about what was good for the country.”Greg added that he used to be a Democratic voter and still would be if the party hadn’t “gone off the rails,” recalling the first Republican he voted for: President Ronald Reagan.

For Mary, ongoing immigration operations and a locked down border is personal.

She said she lawfully immigrated to the United States from Venezuela for a better life, and she and Greg now have children and eight grandkids in total.Many of Mary’s family members lawfully obtained U.S. citizenship as well, waiting years in some cases to do so. Her brother and sister are still in the process.

“Why make it so hard for them, and so easy for some others that shouldn’t be here, like the ones who crossed the border [under Biden],” Mary said.The Justices addressed the growing socialist movement under the Democratic Party, as Mary and her relatives witnessed firsthand their home country’s descent into socialism.“I really love this country,” Mary said. “[Socialism] will destroy us.”

Both of USA Georgia’s Senate seats have been held by Democrats since 2021, when Sen. Raphael Warnock and Ossoff won their elections. Republicans have held onto Georgia’s governor position dating back to 2003.

After receiving a late endorsement from Trump, Collins prevailed in a runoff election earlier this year against another GOP challenger.

Ossoff ran unopposed on the Democratic side of the Senate ticket.

In the governor’s race, Jackson, who has spent nearly $100 million from his own pocket, won a runoff election against a Trump-backed candidate, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones.

Bottoms won the gubernatorial Democrat primary election decisively with 57 percent of the vote. The second-place candidate received 16 percent.

According to the Cook Political Report, Georgia’s governor race is a toss-up, and the Senate seat will likely go to Ossoff.

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USA Officials have maintained that both Good and Pretti were obstructing operations and endangered federal officers.

Mary and Greg both reasoned that the increased immigration enforcement under Trump is a direct result of the border crisis under the Biden administration.

“What were they thinking?” Greg said. “They weren’t thinking about what was good for the country.”Greg added that he used to be a Democratic voter and still would be if the party hadn’t “gone off the rails,” recalling the first Republican he voted for: President Ronald Reagan.For Mary, ongoing immigration operations and a locked down border is personal.

She said she lawfully immigrated to the United States from Venezuela for a better life, and she and Greg now have children and eight grandkids in total.

USA Many of Mary’s family members lawfully obtained U.S. citizenship as well, waiting years in some cases to do so. Her brother and sister are still in the process.In Gwinnett County, election officials reported smooth operations and steady voter participation from the moment doors opened. By noon on day one, more than 3,000 ballots had already been cast. By 2:30 pm, more than 8,000 had voted."I'm excited about how much turnout there's been," said voter John Deputy at a Lawrenceville polling site. "It seems like a lot of people are here to vote their mind and their conscience."

For Deputy, part of his vote was looking at rising costs, saying that he and his family wanted to get prices under control."We just probably believe in a little bit more of Democratic policies, so happy to be here and vote for that stuff," he said."I did my research before I got here so I wouldn't have to ponder while I was voting," said voter Michelle Macintosh. "I just want to get it out of the way, especially while I have the time."Voter Pamela Clark echoed that sentiment, noting that studying a sample ballot beforehand made a significant difference. 

"It helped me a lot, especially with the special elections," Clark said.Clark, who arrived at the polls with her granddaughter, pointed to her purse when asked what was her vote was about. 

"The economy and the finances situation are important," Clark said.Other voters looked at the bigger picture and the long-term direction of the country.

"It's just very chaotic right now," Macintosh said. "Looking for things to kind of settle down, and hopefully, you know, not just for me, but for my kids and my grandkids, that we have a different future."For voter Joe Daponte, accountability and misinformation were top of mind."As far as what's important, I would have to say truth is the biggest thing," Daponte said. "And there's a lot of things out there that just aren't true, and that's all there is."Behind the scenes, local election workers have spent all year gearing up for high turnout. Kelvin Williams, the acting elections supervisor for Gwinnett County, said preparation has been key to keeping wait times manageable.

"We've had a busy year all year. We've had four special elections here in Gwinnett County, nonstop testing equipment," Williams said. "I'm training all officials in Gwinnett County — we train about 2,000 officials, so it's been a busy year for us."Williams also USA offered an essential reminder that while paper materials are welcome in the booth, personal electronics are prohibited. 

"You can bring your sample ballot into the voting booth with you," Williams said. "Remember, cellphones are not permitted inside the location."USA Andra Gillespie, an Emory University political scientist, said the Senate race could help determine which party controls Congress."Control of Congress is what's most at stake, and that's really important," Gillespie said.USA Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate. Democrats would need to retain their current seats and gain four more to take control of the chamber.According to the Georgia Secretary of State's office, more than 2 million people voted in the May primary, representing about 28% of the state's active voters.Gillespie said strong opinions about the direction of government could drive participation in November."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," Gillespie said.

Early voting runs through Friday, Oct. 30, and includes Saturday voting on Oct. 17 and Oct. 24. Hours and locations vary, so voters should check their county's schedule before heading out. 

Posted on 2026/10/14 08:55 AM