The wave of early voting in the Georgia runoff mirrors high turnout ahead of the general election in November. About 1.9 million Georgians had cast ballots at this point in early voting for the presidential election, according to state election officials.
The January 5 runoffs will determine which party controls the US Senate, and with it the future of President-elect Joe Biden’s agenda.
Democrats Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock are challenging incumbent GOP Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, respectively. The races weren’t settled in November’s elections because no one received a majority of the vote in either contest, as required by state law.
If Democrats can flip both seats, they’ll effectively control the Senate since Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, as Senate President, will be able to break 50-50 ties in a split chamber.
Biden and Harris have made trips to the state to stump for Ossoff and Warnock. And President Donald Trump held a rally in Georgia to motivate Republican voters for Perdue and Loeffler ahead of the early voting period.
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