Georgia's presidential primary election enters its final hours
On Tuesday, thousands of Georgians are heading to the polls to elect the candidate that they see best fit to represent the Democratic and Republican parties in the 2024 presidential election.
From 7 a.m. to 7 pm, registered voters will cast their votes at their respective polling centers.
Georgia is one of four states holding their presidential primaries today alongside Hawaii, Washington and Mississippi.
The final four
The current frontrunners in Georgia include President Joe Biden on the Democratic ticket and former President Donald Trump on the Republican ticket. Voters will see many other candidates on the ballot, but nearly all of them have dropped out of the race.
On the Democratic ballot, two other candidates outside of Biden are listed, but only Marianne Williamson is still in the race (she dropped out briefly in February then re-entered the race).
And on the Republican ballot, 10 other candidates outside of Trump are listed, but only David Stuckenberg is still running.
Despite all of the dropouts, votes for any of the 14 listed will still be acknowledged and included in the final count.
Georgia is an open primary state, meaning that regardless of political affiliation, voters can request a ballot for either party.
Early bird catches the worm
While Tuesday is the final day for Georgia voters to make their voices heard in the 2024 presidential primaries, it was not the first.
From Feb. 19 to March 8, early voting was offered across the state to those who wanted to beat their peers to the punch of long wait lines and crowded booths.
Voters looking to cast an absentee ballot had until March 1 to submit their requests. However, to be eligible for counting, the ballots must be received by mail or drop box by the time the polls close Tuesday night.
This is also the first presidential election in Georgia since the passage of Senate Bill 202, which mandates a second Saturday of early voting in counties that didn’t already offer it to voters, as well as a ban on passing out food and water to those waiting in line to cast their ballot.
Over 400,000 voters came to the polls early to cast their ballots, according to state election data.
Dueling rallies
In anticipation of Tuesday’s main event, both Biden and Trump made their way to Georgia on Saturday in the hopes of gaining traction from potential voters.
Biden’s rally, which was held at Pullman Yards in Atlanta’s Kirkwood Historic District, saw the appearance of Georgia Democratic Sens. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff.
Over 50 miles away in Rome, Trump spoke to a crowd over 50 miles away in Rome — which is in the district represented by U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who was in attendance.
Final stakes
Voters who hope to cast their ballot Tuesday can check Georgia’s My Voter Page to verify their registration information and designated polling places and view a sample ballot.
After polls close at 7 p.m., the Georgia Secretary of State’s office will provide updates on results throughout the night.
Georgia will play a crucial role in the presidential election again this November, as it did in 2020 when Biden narrowly turned the state blue for the first time since former President Bill Clinton did so in 1992.
“In 2020 and 2022, especially here in Georgia, but all across the country, you called your neighbors, you texted your friends, you knocked on doors, and you never stop. And you’re with us all the way,” Biden said Saturday.
And according to Trump, “If we win Georgia, we’re gonna win the election.”
Georgia voters will return to the polls in May for primary elections for the state legislature, U.S. House and other statewide and local races.
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