Atlanta

Georgia Election: Here’s what you need to know as you head to the polls today

Vote sign FILE. (WSBTV.com News Staff)

ATLANTA — Election Day is here. After months of campaigning, and dozens of visits from the presidential candidates, voters will decide who they want to lead the country on top of other federal, state, and local races across Georgia.

As of the end of early voting on Friday, 4,004,588 Georgia voters have cast ballots either by voting early or absentee by mail.

That accounts for 55.3% of registered voters in Georgia that have already voted.

The Secretary of State’s Office said they expected to have the majority of votes tabulated fairly early in the evening.

Counties across Georgia must report data on early and absentee voting to the Secretary of State by 8 p.m.

Counties are expected to be ready to tabulate the vast majority of those early votes as soon as the polls close at 7 p.m.

“Come eight o’clock … we may have a very good picture of what the results might be,” Georgia Deputy Elections Director Micheal Barnes said.

Polls will open at 7 a.m. on Tuesday. Polls will officially close at 7 p.m. unless there is some type of emergency throughout the day and a judge approves an extension.

You will need to bring some sort of photo ID. That includes a driver’s license, state ID, or a valid passport.

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If you are unable to provide ID, you will be able to vote a provisional ballot. You will need to provide a copy of your ID within three days after the election to your County Board of Elections and Registration. As long as you do so, your provisional ballot will be counted, as long as you are otherwise eligible to vote.

To check your voting status and polling place for Election Day, you can CLICK HERE.

No matter who you support, this election will be historical.

If she wins, Vice President Kamala Harris would become the first female president in the United States’ 248-year history. She would also be the first Black woman and person of South Asian descent to hold the office. Harris and her campaign have largely played down gender and race fearing that they might alienate some supporters. But the significance of a Harris win would not be lost on historians.

A victory for former President Donald Trump would represent a different kind of historical accomplishment. He would become the first person convicted of a felony elected to the U.S. presidency, having been convicted of 34 felony counts in a New York hush-money case little more than five months ago.

Polls across the country and here in Georgia show a very narrow race as to who will be the next President of the United States.

The latest poll from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the University of Georgia showed Trump with a slight edge in Georgia.

While we may know how Georgia goes relatively early on, it will likely be days before we know the results of the presidential election.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.

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