Georgia Sees Record-Breaking Turnout

Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp issued a press release announcing the certified election results and a record-breaking turnout of Georgia voters on Tuesday:

Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp announced the certified ballot count for the November 8 General Election shattered previous records. With 4,165,405 ballots cast out of 5,443,046 active registered voters, turnout was calculated at 76.53%.

Georgians broke a record in the number of votes cast in a year where national turnout was below average. “I am thrilled to see Georgian’s enthusiasm this cycle,” said Secretary of State Brian Kemp. “Voters turned out in record numbers for the SEC Primary, and that trend has continued all year long.”

Kemp was the architect of the “SEC Primary,” a regional primary that attracted presidential candidates to Georgia and other states during a critical period of the primary process. During their visits, Georgians had the opportunity to meet with candidates and attend events building enthusiasm that carried through to November.

In addition, the office provided new tools to voters that were not available in the previous presidential cycle. Voters could register to vote 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on the Secretary of State Office’s Online Voter Registration Page (OLVR).

In addition, the new text 2VOTE feature and the GA SOS smartphone app gave additional platforms for citizens to register. The app also provided the functionality of the office’s My Voter Page, allowing voters to look up their sample ballot, find their polling place, or request an absentee ballot right from their smartphone.

“These new e-government solutions gave easier access for voters to the polls than ever before in Georgia, and they have advanced my goal for Georgia’s elections – making it easy to vote and hard to cheat,” said Kemp.

In certifying the results, the Secretary of State is reporting the official vote counts certified to his office by each county board of elections. Also, with the certification, the time period for a candidate for state office to request a recount begins. Candidates must submit requests within 2 business days from certification per O.C.G.A § 21-2-495.

I know that counties in north Georgia voted overwhelmingly for President-elect Donald Trump.  Walker County, for example, voted 79.1% for Trump vs. 74.2% for Mitt Romney in 2012.  Murray County saw 83.2% vote for Trump vs. 75.3% in 2016.  Contrast that to metro counties like Cobb and Gwinnett, both of which went for Hillary Clinton.

Jon has an excellent breakdown of the numbers in Gwinnett County.