Election 2024: Georgia early voting begins Tuesday

Early voting starts this week in Georgia and legal experts say now is a good time to make a plan and know your rights.

Between Oct.15 and Nov. 1, Georgians can head to the polls to cast their ballots.

Alicia Hughes, an assistant professor at Emory University School of Law, expects millions of Georgians to take advantage of early voting.

"At least 20% of Georgians are voting either absentee or early in that two-week window, and I believe that to curtail some of what was experienced in 2020 … folks are going to be voting early," Hughes said.

In 2020, early voters and those who went to the polls on election day waited hours in line. That's why Hughes expects many to get their vote in early. With a growing population of over 315,000 more Georgia residents from 2020 to 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, there will be even more voters looking to cast their ballot this year.

"I think people, one way or the other, are going to come out and vote what their conscience, or their concern, is," Hughes said. "The Israeli-Palestinian conflict – You've got people voting for that or people voting that issue. You've got people concerned about the border. You've got people who are concerned about reproductive health."

Hughes says now is a good time to check your polling location. If you do decide to vote on election day, she says to make sure you're in line in time.

"People need to know that if you are in line by 7 p.m. on election day, you have to be allowed to cast your vote," Hughes said.

"Make sure that your ballot gets where it belongs by Nov. 5. That's your job, it's your civic duty," she added.

You can find your polling location here.