Enhanced Security Measures Help Georgians Surpass 100k in Early Voting

Atlanta – On Thursday, Georgia voters broke the 100k mark in Early Voting and Absentee totals thanks to upgraded security procedures and voter experience improvements implemented since 2018. Georgia continues to seek the appropriate balance between election security and voter access, leading the way in several first-of-its-kind pilot projects and upgrades that serve to boost voter confidence and reduce the likelihood of errors while casting a ballot.

“Since 2018, I’ve made election security and user experience priority number one,” said Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. "From upgrading poll pads to implementing a new voter registration system, we've worked tirelessly to enhance voting up and down the line. Georgia voters can trust that their elected representatives are chosen only by American citizens, casting their votes on secure paper ballots."

Under Secretary Raffensperger's leadership, Georgia has implemented a series of transformative measures aimed at strengthening the integrity of our elections and boosting voter confidence. Cutting-edge upgrades to poll pads have streamlined the check-in process, cutting wait times and improving overall accuracy. The adoption of a new voter registration system, GARViS, has modernized voter registration procedures, enhancing security, accuracy, and reliability. To increase transparency, My Voter Page has undergone significant upgrades, allowing for voters to check the status of their vote the same day, in most cases. These upgrades, in support of Georgia’s requirement of short wait times on election day, serve to accomplish the goal of a positive experience for all Georgia voters. Additionally, Secretary Raffensperger's launch of Election Data Hub marks a milestone in transparency, providing hourly turnout updates and invaluable insights to the public. And for voters who cast a ballot by mail, Georgians can now monitor their ballots throughout the entire process, significantly enhancing the likelihood of a successfully cast vote thanks to our partnership with BallotTrax.

“Voters will have a wonderful experience at the polls in 2024,” said Secretary Raffensperger. “In most cases they will be out in under two minutes, and have confidence in the process thanks to the hard work of election officials across Georgia.”

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Georgia is recognized as a national leader in elections. It was the first state in the country to implement the trifecta of automatic voter registration, at least 17 days of early voting (which has been called the “gold standard”), and no-excuse absentee voting. Georgia continues to set records for voter turnout and election participation, seeing the largest increase in average turnout of any other state in the 2018 midterm election and record turnout in 2020, and 2022. 2022 achieved the largest single day of in-person early voting turnout in Georgia midterm history utilizing Georgia’s secure, paper ballot voting system. Most recently, Georgia ranked #1 for Election Integrity by the Heritage Foundation, a top ranking for Voter Accessibility by the Center for Election Innovation & Research and tied for number one in Election Administration by the Bipartisan Policy Center.