More than 180,000 Georgians cast ballots Tuesday on the first day of early voting, establishing a new record for a midterm election. The opening day total surpassed [1] the comparable mark from 2022 by more than 55,000 votes, according to state election officials.
Georgia voters can continue casting early ballots through Oct. 30. The record arrived as the state’s combative U.S. Senate contest moved toward the Nov. 3 general election.
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger credited public trust in the state’s election process for the surge in turnout.
“This record-breaking turnout proves that voters have confidence in the integrity of our elections,” Raffensperger said in a statement. “It’s a testament to our strong election system overseen by 159 of the best county election officials in the country.”
The ballot rush came as Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff and Republican challenger Rep. Mike Collins escalated their attacks during their second and final debate. The Atlanta Press Club hosted the event, which Georgia Public Broadcasting carried Tuesday night.
Ossoff accused Collins of allowing what he called “neo-Nazi propaganda” to be distributed from inside Collins’ home. Collins responded by attacking Ossoff over financial support from billionaire Reid Hoffman, a former associate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Ossoff repeatedly tried to connect his Republican opponent to White nationalism. He also demanded that Collins commit to stopping the spread of hateful rhetoric involving members of his campaign staff, particularly Collins’ son-in-law, David Alan Scheer II.
“How weak a person do you have to be to be unable to stop someone under your own roof from disseminating neo-Nazi propaganda while you run for the Senate?” Ossoff asked during the debate.
The question referenced a CNN investigation involving Scheer. According to the cited reporting, Scheer shared Nazi propaganda imagery, promoted antisemitic conspiracy theories, and polled his online followers about whether he should produce a video titled, “Why Gen-Z Doesn’t Hate Hitler.”
Collins answered by accusing Ossoff of fueling threats against his family. He also confronted the Democratic senator over campaign support tied to Hoffman and questioned Ossoff’s support for candidates linked to controversial streamer Hasan Piker.
“I’m a little tired of this, Jon,” Collins said. He then alleged, “There’s a crazy person in jail right now because of your rhetoric,” before saying he had received another threat the previous day.
The Republican challenger pressed Ossoff to reject Hoffman and return money connected to the billionaire. Hoffman contributed to Ossoff’s campaign and to a political action committee opposing Collins.
“You have not denounced, you’ve not condemned Reid Hoffman, one of your largest donors out there, one that’s been supporting you with over $1 million,” Collins said. “Why don’t you denounce that? Why don’t you return that money?”
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The confrontation placed accusations involving Collins’ family and Ossoff’s financial support at the center of the final debate. Both candidates used the event to challenge the other over political associations and alleged responsibility for inflammatory conduct.
Meanwhile, the early voting figures showed Georgians moving quickly to participate before Election Day. State officials reported that Tuesday’s total not only set a midterm record, but cleared the first day count from 2022 by more than 55,000 ballots.
The unusually busy opening day and the increasingly personal Senate debate unfolded on the same Tuesday. With early voting continuing through Oct. 30, the candidates entered the final stretch before the Nov. 3 general election amid record participation and a barrage of accusations.