Early voting starts Tuesday in key Georgia statewide races
Early voting begins Tuesday in crucial Georgia races
Both political parties launched targeted voter turnout operations across Georgia as early voting opens Tuesday ahead of the Nov. 3 general election.
ATLANTA - Early voting begins Tuesday in Georgia, and both parties are working to turn out supporters with two closely watched statewide races at the top of the ticket.
Statewide campaign turnout strategies
What we know:
Republican strategist Brian Robinson said that turning out GOP voters will be key for gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson and Senate candidate Mike Collins.
"Democrats are going to have a show of force I think in that first week of early voting," Robinson said, "and I think Republicans need to keep an eye on that and making sure the Republicans in your community are paying attention and getting out to go vote."
For Democrats, strategist Tharon Johnson said gubernatorial candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms and Senator Jon Ossoff won't wait until election day to drive voters to the polls.
"We are going to treat every day of early voting like it is election day," Johnson said, "because we know when we vote early we will be in a perfect position to turn out the voters we need on election day."'
Reaching independent voters
Dig deeper:
Beyond mobilizing their strongest supporters, the candidates must reach voters still deciding who deserves their support.
Robinson noted that "what you are looking at is a turnout operation to identify the people they know will vote for them and making sure they show up—that's the most important thing."
With voting starting next week, the campaigns have limited time to turn that support into ballots.
Johnson added that "the undecided and independent voters are going to be extremely important because they are the persuadable voter that Democrats are making a concerted effort to communicate with."
Early voting turnout projections
What we don't know:
Election officials have not released early voting turnout estimates or projections regarding how many mail-in and absentee ballots will be requested ahead of Tuesday's opening
Polling station operating hours
What you can do:
Specific early voting hours, locations, and weekend voting opportunities vary by individual county election boards.
You can view your specific area polling locations by visiting the official Georgia Secretary of State My Voter Page.
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