Georgians are Voting in Record Numbers

The final US Senate seat will be decided by a runoff election in Georgia on December 6. Democrat incumbent Senator Rev. Raphael Warnock (D) is running to maintain his seat against challenger Herschel Walker (R). Winning this seat will make a huge difference for Democrats:

• With 51 seats, Democrats can still pass legislation even if one member is out sick (assuming legislation is voted on strictly along party lines, 50D-49R). If there is a tie, the Vice President casts the tie-breaking vote.
• Democrats will chair all committees if they control 51 seats. If they only control 50, they will probably create a power-sharing agreement with Republicans to share leadership of the committees like they did in 2021.
• With 51 seats, Democrats can easily confirm President Biden’s judicial nominees.
• Being in charge of committees means Democrats can bring legislation from those committees to the floor for a vote. McConnell is famous for not bringing bills to a floor vote, effectively blocking legislation. With 51 seats, Democrats can act on bills that have been stalled by Republicans.

Early Voting

Early voting began everywhere on Monday and was allowed as early as Saturday after Republicans tried to block Saturday voting. Their argument to the State Supreme Court was that it is illegal to vote on a Saturday if there is a holiday on the Thursday or Friday preceding it. The Georgia State Supreme Court ruled in favor of Democrats, agreeing that the law applies to primary and general elections, but not runoff elections. Republicans already shortened the time between a general election and runoff election as part of the 2021 voting law (which also made it illegal to give water and food to people standing in line to vote). It’s all about voter suppression. Reducing the amount of time people have to vote and the number of places people can vote makes wait times longer and makes voting inconvenient.

Voters set records this weekend! Gabe Sterling, COO for the Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R), tweeted Monday morning. “Another record has been set in this election cycle. The Sunday turnout of 86,937 voters was 130% higher than the previous Sunday record of 37,785 set on October 25, 2020. #gapol”

Another record has been set in this election cycle. The Sunday turnout of 86,937 voters was 130% higher than the previous Sunday record of 37,785 set on October 25, 2020. #gapol pic.twitter.com/HuH0r7Jw3Y

— Gabriel Sterling (@GabrielSterling) November 28, 2022

Young Voters

@Victorshi2020 tweeted on Sunday "NEW: obtained footage from the scene out of Cobb County, Georgia right now. Even on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, the line is *massive* — and, even better, the person who sent this told me there are “many students in line.” Gen Z-ers in Georgia will save Georgia & Democracy."

NEW: obtained footage from the scene out of Cobb County, Georgia right now. Even on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, the line is *massive* — and, even better, the person who sent this told me there are “many students in line.” Gen Z-ers in Georgia will save Georgia & Democracy. pic.twitter.com/oBi7bcohOR

— Victor Shi (@Victorshi2020) November 27, 2022

18-24 year-old voters are showing up in numbers that match older voters, at least in Fulton County.

@symonemsnbc tweeted "@JuanitaTolliver weighs in on the turnout among young voters in Georgia ahead of the Senate runoff election. “Once they get a taste of that ability express their political will, they’re not going to stop.” For special GA coverage watch #SYMONE @MSNBConPeacock on Tuesday."

.@JuanitaTolliver weighs in on the turnout among young voters in Georgia ahead of the Senate runoff election.

“Once they get a taste of that ability express their political will, they’re not going to stop.”

For special GA coverage watch #SYMONE @MSNBConPeacock on Tuesday. pic.twitter.com/Zifsecho4c

— SYMONE (@symonemsnbc) November 28, 2022

@Victorshi2020 tweeted: “After the first weekend of early voting in Georgia, there’s some jaw-dropping data. Voters between the ages 18-29 make up 13.3% of the total turnout so far—more than any other age group. I’ve said it before & I’ll say it again: young voters will carry Raphael Warnock to victory.”

After the first weekend of early voting in Georgia, there’s some jaw-dropping data. Voters between the ages 18-29 make up 13.3% of the total turnout so far—more than any other age group. I’ve said it before & I’ll say it again: young voters will carry Raphael Warnock to victory.

— Victor Shi (@Victorshi2020) November 28, 2022

Asian Voters

With a Get Out the Vote campaign centered on Asian voters, they are demanding that politicians hear their concerns. The campaign nearly doubled the number of Asians who voted in Georgia from 2016 to 2020. Georgia state Senator-elect Nabilah Islam, who will be the first South Asian woman elected to the state senate, said that AAPI is the fastest growing racial or ethnic group in the country, “So I'm confident that we're going to be a huge voting bloc that will help deliver a win for Sen. Raphael Warnock.”

Senator Raphael Warnock has contacted the AAPI Victory Fund to host a rally before the runoff election. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Vice President Kamala Harris’s niece Meena Harris are canvassing for South Asian voters.

Advocates say that the funding is not rolling in the way it did in 2020 when Trump was on the ballot. And that makes it harder to campaign because the AAPI community includes an range of cultures and languages. They need funding to get the word out in the languages and in ways that make sense to connect with the various cultures.

Republicans have opened a community center in Georgia’s Berkeley Lake where they have held events like Lunar New Year celebration and a Korean-language tax preparation event. They are also stumping for Walker even though AAPI voters chose Warnock by 20 points in the general election. Governor Brian Kemp hosted a Diwali event

Fundraising

Senator Warnock has outraised Walker, with almost three times as much cash on hand going into the runoff election. According to CNBC, Warnock’s campaign has a little more than $29 million as of Nov. 16, while Walker’s campaign had $9.8 million. Part of that discrepancy can be directly attributed to Republican’s shady fundraising tactics. Just two week’s ago, Walker’s campaign called out former President Trump and other Republicans for fundraising on Walker’s behalf and keeping 90% of what was donated. After being called out publicly, Trump’s Save America campaign changed the default donation from a 90/10 split to 50/50. It’s not clear if other Republican campaigns like J.D. Vance in Ohio or Ted Budd in North Carolina switched their defaults from 90/10 to a more even split. How many people even know they can adjust how their donation is split? I bet most people assume that the money goes where the email says it will go.

VOTE!

If you’re in Georgia and need information on how to vote, click here. Early voting ends Friday, December 2. Election Day is Tuesday, December 6.