Politics & Government
Battle For Georgia Ballot 2022: Ongoing Election Day Coverage -- Initial Reports Indicate Voters "Breeze Through" Polls Early
The Georgia Recorder staff is fanning out Election Day to report from precincts, the secretary of state's war room and from communities.
November 8, 2022
The Georgia Recorder staff is fanning out on Election Day to report from precincts, the secretary of state’s war room and from communities that will select winners in some of the most fiercely fought campaigns. States Newsroom Democracy Reporter Kira Lerner joins the team to watch for problems at the polls. Our Washington correspondents will update with national trends.
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Voters were breezing in and out of the Grant Park Recreational Center in Atlanta. Jill Nolin/Georgia Recorder
For all the focus on early voting this year, plenty of people will cast a ballot today on the last day to vote.
Heading into Tuesday, 2.5 million Georgians had already voted, which was 20% higher than this point in the 2018 midterm.
Genevieve McGillicuddy, an Atlanta voter, said she usually votes early but has been traveling, which left her casting a ballot Tuesday morning. She blocked off her morning to vote but it only took about five minutes for her to breeze in and out of the Grant Park Recreational Center.
McGillicuddy voted a straight Democratic ticket but is bracing for a runoff in the U.S. Senate contest, which is a prospect she finds herself dreading.
Charlie Bailey, the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, was one of the candidates who waited to vote on Election Day. Jill Nolin/Georgia Recorder
“It’s another four weeks of constant ads on television and endless campaigning. If it has to be done, it has to be done,” she said.
Reed, who also voted at the Grant Park precinct, said she waited till Tuesday to vote out of procrastination.
She said the memory of a four-hour wait at a South Fulton polling station two years ago left her scarred so she came prepared for a long wait this time: A lawn chair and snacks were packed away in her car.
But she didn’t need them this time. She walked in and out in about 10 minutes Tuesday.
“I had everything. I was ready,” she said.
You can also count some politicians from both sides of the aisle among these Election Day voters.
Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, who has been rallying supporters to the polls for weeks, voted with his family in Winterville.
Four years later…the Kemps cast our votes this morning to keep Georgia the BEST place to live, work, and raise a family!
Grab your friends, family, and loved ones today and get out and VOTE! #gapol pic.twitter.com/NRSGS2jwWM
— Brian Kemp (@BrianKempGA) November 8, 2022
And the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, Charlie Bailey, also cast his ballot Tuesday morning.
“I’m just kind of old school. I like to vote on Election Day,” Bailey told reporters after he voted. “There’s something about the day. It’s just special.
“It’s our democracy, and it’s always felt a little bit different than the other day,” he added.
Last updated: 12:20 pm
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