Georgians urged to drop off mail-in ballots as early voting continues breaking records

3M Georgians have already voted

Georgia voters continue to shatter records this election. State elections officials say over 3 million Georgians have cast ballots during the early voting period.

ATLANTA - Georgia continues to shatter early voting turnout records with three more days left to go.

According to the Georgia Secretary of State's Office, more than 3.2 million people across the Peach State have already voted. That's over 45% of the total number of active voters that have turned up to the polls.

Some counties, like north Georgia's Towns County, have seen turnout of nearly 65%.

Voters urged to drop off absentee ballots

With Election Day just days away, Georgians who have absentee ballots are being urged to drop them off in-person instead of sending them through the mail.

Election officials say Tuesday was the first time in Georgia history that the turnout during early voting passed 3 million.

"Georgia voters are making us all proud. Voting in person in record numbers. 3,271,569 votes overall so far," Gabriel Sterling, the chief operating officer for the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office, wrote on X, "It's the epitome of America."

Election officials say, between the safeguards they have in place and the high turnout, it's proof of a successful election season so far in the Peach State.

A high volume of voters is still expected at polling locations on Friday, the final day of early voting.

MORE: Cobb County Voter Guide mix-up: Incorrect polling locations for Acworth, Roswell precincts

Signs sit to show people where to go to cast their votes on the first day of early voting at Metropolitan library on Oct. 15, 2024, in Atlanta. (Photo by Megan Varner/Getty Images)

To accommodate the crowds, Fulton County government officials have announced the county's 18 libraries will be open strictly for voting, meaning no library services.

Legal challenges expected in Georgia election

The Secretary of State's Office reports no major problems, but with pollsters predicting another close race in the battleground state, officials anticipate a lawsuit no matter the outcome.

"We don't know who's going to win and who wins will decide who sues us, essentially at the end of the day. So, if Vice President Harris wins, we expect Trump officials to sue us. If President Trump wins, we expect Harris officials to sue us," Sterling said.

"We are extremely grateful for the hard work of county election officials in all 159 of our counties," SOS Elections Director Blake Evans explained. "They are doing just a tremendous job of processing voters, and very high turnout, that we're seeing in this election."

Election lawsuits already flooding courts

Voting related lawsuits are already piling up even before the polls open on Election Day. From North Carolina to Nevada, Virginia to Pennsylvania, the legal knives are out as both parties aim to ensure a fair election. The U.S. Supreme Court has already weighed in on one dispute and might get dragged into more

On the security front, Sterling said they successfully warded off a cyberthreat some weeks ago and have received reports of people planning to meddle with voting machines.

Sterling said his office is in ongoing conversations with the GBI and federal law enforcement about potential threats.

New recommendations for Georgia mail-in voters

The majority of these voters have been in-person with a little more than 200,000 absentee ballots mailed in as of Wednesday morning.

Officials recommend the approximately 140,000 Georgia voters still holding on to their mail-in ballots to drop them off in-person to county election offices or drop boxes instead of putting them in the mail.

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Fulton County election scrutiny

The Fulton County Board of Registration and Elections held a special meeting. They met at the Fulton County Elections Hub on Campbellton-Fairburn Road in Union City to discuss and review election materials, procedures and more with election day less than a week away.

Absentee ballots have to be received by 7 p.m. on Election Day - no matter what the postmark says.

You can find the locations of the drop boxes for metro Atlanta counties here: DeKalb, Clayton, Cobb, Fulton, and Gwinnett.

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Where do I vote?

You can find your polling location through the My Voter Page.

What do I need to bring?

A valid state or federal government-issued photo ID (including free IDs from county registrars or the Georgia Department of Driver Services)
A Georgia driver’s license (even if expired)
A student ID from a Georgia public college or university
A valid employee photo ID from any federal, state, or local government agency
A valid U.S. passport or U.S. military photo ID
A valid tribal photo ID with a photograph of the voter