With a race that was essentially decided more than a week ago, fewer Georgians went to the polls Tuesday than in previous primary elections.
Just 11.1% of registered voters cast ballots during the party primary period, almost evenly divided between early and absentee voters and those who waited until Tuesday to make their pick.
Presidential primary turnout in Georgia was lower than in either of the past two presidential primaries in 2016 and 2020, a result likely influenced this year by a lack of competitive races and polling showing voters are less than enthusiastic about their options. President Joe Biden came into the election with no viable opponents, while on the Republican side, former President Donald Trump had a clear field when Nikki Haley suspended her campaign after losing every state but Vermont on Super Tuesday.
Caitlin Tripp, a 31-year-old 10th-grade history teacher in Fulton County, said she wanted to set an example of voting in all elections for her students.
“Being able to say that I voted my conscience consistently is important to me,” she said. “I voted for what I believed in at every opportunity, that matters.”
For Georgeann Scott, 74, going to the polls was another chance to vote against Trump.
“To keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office again, that’s what motivated me,” she said.
To win the state in November, Biden will need Democratic voters in the state’s most populous counties to turn out in huge numbers. That didn’t happen Tuesday.
Fulton and Gwinnett counties have the highest populations in the state, but they ranked among the lowest for turnout in this election with roughly 8% each. While these counties were among the top five counties for the number of votes cast, they also held a greater quantity of registered voters who skipped this election.
Cobb and DeKalb counties had slightly higher turnouts with 10% and 11%, respectively.
“There was definitely a drop-off after Super Tuesday,” said Zachary Manifold, Gwinnett’s elections supervisor. He said many voters who showed up did not realize that there was only one race on the ballot. The races they were expecting, state and local primaries, will be held May 21.
Other counties with smaller populations boasted higher turnouts.
Union County, home to roughly 25,000 Georgians, had the second-highest turnout percentage in the state. Libby Stevens, chair of the Union County Board of Elections, said that some voters continued to cast ballots for Haley on election day as a show of support even after she dropped out of the race. She added that the county may experience higher turnout because many of the residents are retirees and because the county recently moved voting to a new, more accessible election center.
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