{"id":2355446,"date":"2024-10-15T23:09:59","date_gmt":"2024-10-16T03:09:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/early-voting-in-georgia-hits-record-high-on-first-day-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-10-15T23:12:41","modified_gmt":"2024-10-16T03:12:41","slug":"early-voting-in-georgia-hits-record-high-on-first-day-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/early-voting-in-georgia-hits-record-high-on-first-day-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Early voting in Georgia hits record high on first day &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fearly-voting-in-georgia-hits-record-high-on-first-day-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2355446&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>It looks like you have provided content from an article detailing\u200d early voting in Georgia for \u200bthe upcoming 2024 elections, focusing \u2062on the turnout and the ongoing political context. Here is\u200d a revised version that retains the core information while enhancing clarity and flow:<\/p>\n<p>&#8212;<\/p>\n<p>**ATLANTA \u2014** \u200bMore\u2063 voters in Georgia participated in early\u200d voting on Tuesday, the first day of the early voting period,\u200d than on any \u2063previous first day of early voting in the\u200b state\u2019s history. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is\u2062 the highest first day of early voting we\u2019ve had \u2062in a \u200cpresidential year,\u201d stated Robert Sinners, spokesman for the\u200b Georgia\u2064 Secretary of State, in an email to the *Washington Examiner*.<\/p>\n<p>Gabriel Sterling, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/audit-michigan-may-have-paid-billions-in-fraudulent-jobless-claims-gretchen-whitmer-administration-hit-with-kickback-allegations\/\" title=\"Audit: Michigan May Have Paid Billions in &#039;Fraudulent&#039; Jobless Claims; Gretchen Whitmer Administration Hit with &#039;Kickback&#039; Allegations\">chief operating officer<\/a> of the Georgia Secretary of \u2062State&#8217;s office, highlighted the turnout in a social media \u200cpost, noting that\u2062 over 328,000 early and absentee ballots\u2064 had been cast. He emphasized that the changes made\u2062 to the state&#8217;s voting \u2063laws improved the voting process, rather\u2064 than hindering it. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor those who claimed that Georgia&#8217;s \u2062election laws were &#8216;Jim Crow 2.0&#8217; \u200dand said democracy is dying&#8230; the voters of\u200b Georgia would like to have\u200d a word,\u201d said Sterling after the polls \u2064closed on Tuesday evening. \u201cOver 300,000 votes cast today! That\u2019s 123% higher\u200d than the\u2064 previous\u2063 record for the first day. Great job to \u2063the counties and voters.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The record turnout is seen as a significant \u2062achievement for both major political parties and could indicate heightened enthusiasm among voters\u2062 for the presidential candidates, Vice President Kamala\u200d Harris and \u2063former President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n<p>Hundreds of thousands of Georgians\u200d filled polling locations across the state\u2019s 159\u200b counties.\u200c In\u200c Fulton \u2063County, \u200dthe \u200bcenter of Trump\u2019s claims regarding election fraud\u2064 in the 2020 election, voters expressed a more positive view \u200cof the election\u2064 process this year.<\/p>\n<p>Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger had predicted a \u200brobust turnout, reporting\u200c that more\u2063 than 234,000 votes \u2063had been cast \u2062by 3:30 p.m. local time on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p>**Trump and Georgia:\u200b A History of Tension**<\/p>\n<p>Fulton County, which represents 11% \u200bof Georgia&#8217;s voters and is\u2062 predominantly Democratic, was pivotal in \u200dthe 2020 election, where 75% of\u200d its voters supported President Joe Biden, compared to just 25%\u2063 for Trump. Biden won \u200dGeorgia by a narrow margin of 11,779 votes \u2064out\u200d of almost 5 million cast\u2014marking the first time \u200ba\u200c Democrat won the state since 1996.<\/p>\n<p>Following\u200d the 2020 election, Trump\u2063 questioned\u2063 the legitimacy of\u2064 the results, alleging that Democrats manipulated outcomes in Fulton County.\u200d This led to increased \u200dscrutiny of the voting process from Republicans, while Democrats accused their counterparts of undermining\u2062 electoral integrity.<\/p>\n<p>In February 2021, Fulton County\u200b District Attorney\u2063 Fani Willis launched an investigation into \u2064alleged efforts by Republicans to interfere with election results. Trump and 18\u2063 co-defendants were indicted in August 2023, leading to his arrest\u200c in Fulton County on charges related\u200b to violations of the\u200d state&#8217;s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) statute.<\/p>\n<p>Despite these issues, reforms and security measures have been implemented under the current administration to bolster election integrity. \u200bGovernor Brian Kemp has signed laws aimed at \u2064enhancing voting security,\u2063 although these changes have faced\u200d significant pushback from Democratic leaders.\u200c <\/p>\n<p>In May, Kemp signed legislation outlining \u2064voter eligibility requirements and mandating that counties report absentee ballot counts \u200bwithin an hour \u200bafter polls close. <\/p>\n<p>The Georgia State Election Board has implemented further rules requiring county officials to \u200bcompile lists of voters\u2064 and verify ballot\u200b results before certification\u200c in mid-November. This \u200bhas sparked legal challenges from both conservative and liberal factions concerned about overreach \u2063and the timeline.<\/p>\n<p>**Voter Sentiment on Election Day**<\/p>\n<p>Despite intra-party disagreements \u200dand controversy surrounding voting processes, early voting in Fulton County commenced smoothly on Tuesday. Of\u2064 several voters at the \u2062Buckhead Library, a few expressed cautious optimism about the election process.<\/p>\n<p>Nikki Fortson,\u2063 a retiree, noted improvements \u200cfrom the \u2064last election cycle\u2063 but hoped \u2063for increased scrutiny. Glenn Hagan cited confidence in state \u200dmeasures to ensure election integrity, and Terence Michael Byrne praised Georgia\u2019s voting \u2064system as superior due to ID requirements and drop-off protocols.<\/p>\n<p>**Trump&#8217;s Messaging\u200b on Early Voting**<\/p>\n<p>Trump visited Atlanta \u200don Tuesday \u200devening for a campaign rally,\u2062 urging his supporters \u2062to ensure a \u200c\u201clandslide that\u2019s too\u200d big to rig.&#8221; While he encouraged early voting, his past statements have raised\u200b questions \u200bregarding the integrity of the process. This contradictory stance creates uncertainty among voters as the election approaches.<\/p>\n<p>&#8212;\u2062 <\/p>\n<p>This revised version\u200c maintains the key points and structures the information in a reader-friendly manner, providing \u2063a\u200c clear overview of the situation surrounding early voting in \u200dGeorgia as related to the \u2064upcoming presidential election.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Early voting in Georgia hits record high on first day as Trump mounts comeback<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1836543\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><strong>ATLANTA &mdash; <\/strong>More <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/georgia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Georgia\">Georgia<\/a> voters turned out to vote Tuesday, the first day of early <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/voting\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Georgia\">voting<\/a>, than any previous day in a general election in state history.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;This is the highest first day of early voting we&rsquo;ve had in a presidential year,&rdquo; said Robert Sinners, spokesman for the Georgia secretary of state, in an email to the <em>Washington Examiner.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/live-blog\/2024-election-campaign-live-updates-harris-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2024 ELECTIONS LIVE UPDATES: LATEST NEWS ON THE TRUMP-HARRIS PRESIDENTIAL RACE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Gabriel Sterling, Georgia secretary of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/georgia-only-goes-after-elected-republicans-election-fraud\/\" title=\"Georgia Only Goes After Elected Republicans&#039; Election Fraud\">state chief operating officer<\/a>, touted in a post to social media with more than 328,000 early and absentee ballots cast so far that changes to the state&rsquo;s voting system had, in fact, improved voting rather than made it more difficult.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;For those that claimed Georgia election laws were Jim Crow 2.0 and those that say democracy is dying&hellip;the voters of Georgia would like to have a word,&rdquo; said Sterling in a post to X after polls closed Tuesday evening. &ldquo;Over 300,000 votes cast today! That&rsquo;s 123% higher than the old record for the 1st day. Great job counties &amp; voters.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">For those that claimed Georgia election laws were Jim Crow 2.0 and those that say democracy is dying&hellip;the voters of Georgia would like to have a word. Over 300,000 votes cast today! That&rsquo;s 123% higher than the old record for the 1st day. Great job counties &amp; voters. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/CkgZwSQAYM\">pic.twitter.com\/CkgZwSQAYM<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Gabriel Sterling (@GabrielSterling) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GabrielSterling\/status\/1846331029176402178?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 15, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/p>\n<p>The feat is a major accomplishment for the state, as well as the Democratic and Republican parties, and could signal greater excitement among voters for both candidates Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. <\/p>\n<p>Hundreds of thousands of Georgians poured through the thousands of polling locations across its 159 counties, including in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/fulton-county\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Fulton County<\/a>, the epicenter of Trump&rsquo;s claims that election fraud in the region cost him the state and the entire 2020 election.<\/p>\n<p>Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger&rsquo;s office had anticipated earlier in the day that the numbers were off to a good start as more than 234,000 votes were filed between 7 a.m. local time, when polls opened, through roughly 3:30 p.m. local time.<\/p>\n<p>Voters in Fulton County who turned out Tuesday to vote for Trump outside of the polling center at the Buckhead Library in north&nbsp;Atlanta&nbsp;told the&nbsp;<em>Washington Examiner<\/em>&nbsp;that they felt better about the county&rsquo;s election process than four years ago.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Trump and Georgia: Why the bad blood<\/h2>\n<p>Fulton County is the most populated of Georgia&rsquo;s 159 counties and accounts for 11% of the state&rsquo;s voters, the large majority of whom are Democrats. In 2020, nearly 3-in-4 Fulton County voters backed President Joe Biden versus 1-in-4 who supported Trump, according to county election <a href=\"https:\/\/results.enr.clarityelections.com\/GA\/Fulton\/105430\/web.264614\/#\/summary\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>results<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately in Georgia, Biden beat Trump by a mere <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/ap-fact-check-donald-trump-georgia-elections-atlanta-c23d10e5299e14daee6109885f7dafa9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>11,779<\/a> votes out of almost 5 million votes cast in 2020. It was a huge victory for Democrats because the state had gone to Republican presidential candidates every election since 1996.<\/p>\n<p>However, it was also reason, in Trump&rsquo;s mind, to second-guess the results. Trump alleged that Democrats manipulated the election in Fulton County, in particular, in order to boost the state&rsquo;s overall count for Biden. <\/p>\n<p>In the four years since then, Republicans have waged a war to protect the election and voting process, while Democrats have accused their counterparts of overstepping their legal authority.<\/p>\n<p>In Feburary 2021, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis launched an investigation into efforts by Republicans to mettle in the state&rsquo;s election results. <\/p>\n<p>A grand jury indicted Trump and 18 other named defendants in August 2023. Trump was arrested and booked in Fulton County, where his mugshot was taken. Trump was indicted on charges of violating Georgia&rsquo;s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations, or RICO, statute.<\/p>\n<p>The indictment accused Trump and others of plotting to create fake electors in support of Trump and plans to access voting machines. Trump was also accused of telling Raffensperger in a phone call to &ldquo;find 11,780 votes&rdquo; &mdash; enough votes to swing the state in his favor. Raffensperger refused and has remained in his position.<\/p>\n<p>Despite pursuing charges against the Republicans, Willis has faced her own legal problems after being exposed for having a romantic relationship with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3190579\/nathan-wade-testifies-congress-trump-case\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Nathan Wade\">Nathan Wade<\/a>, the special prosecutor that she appointed to oversee the investigation.<\/p>\n<p>The case against Trump is now on hold as the Georgia Court of Appeals decides whether to disqualify Willis. <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Shoring up the 2024 elections process in Georgia<\/h2>\n<p>Republicans in elected and unelected positions across the state have tried to bolster election security measures, while Democrats have fought them at every move. Changes to the elections process are historically reserved for far out from an election because poll workers and election workers must be trained of changes to policy well in advance.<\/p>\n<p>Although Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) backed the 2020 election results, to Trump&rsquo;s dismay, he signed into law in 2021 what were described as elections security measures. The move infuriated Democrats &mdash;&nbsp;so much so that MLB <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2443386\/atlanta-braves-to-host-2025-all-star-game-in-wake-of-georgias-voter-law-controversy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>opted<\/a> not to hold its All-Star Game in Atlanta, as planned.<\/p>\n<p>This past May, Kemp <font color=\"#4db2ec\"><span style=\"caret-color: rgb(77, 178, 236);\">signed<\/span><\/font>  more changes into law, including the circumstances that a voter could be taken off eligibility rolls: death, evidence of voting or registering in another jurisdiction, or use of a nonresidential address. The bill also required counties to report absentee ballot counts with an hour of polls closing on Election Day.<\/p>\n<p>ACLU of Georgia Executive Director Andrea Young <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/elections\/georgia-governor-brian-kemp-signs-new-election-changes-law-rcna151180\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>called<\/a> it a &ldquo;step back for voters&rsquo; rights and voting access.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>In August, the Georgia State Election Board, comprised of five nonelected members, <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/georgia-elections-certification-rule-26551bd40f5a246035bc3d4c06e4d9b9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>approved<\/a> rules that required county election officials to create lists of voters who cast ballots, how they voted, and to comb through results to ensure the vote was not counted twice. The process must be completed before certifying the vote in mid-November.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Blowback from Democrats and Republicans<\/h2>\n<p>Raffensberger <a href=\"https:\/\/sos.ga.gov\/news\/raffensperger-defends-georgias-election-integrity-act-last-minute-changes-delaying-election\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>said<\/a> in August that the state election board had run amok.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Georgia law already has secure chain of custody protocols for handling ballots, and efforts to change these laws by unelected bureaucrats on the eve of the election introduces the opportunity for error, lost or stolen ballots, and fraud,&rdquo; Raffensperger said.<\/p>\n<p>The state board is intended to set election rules, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/early-voting-in-georgia-underway-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Early voting in Georgia underway - Washington Examiner\">investigate voter fraud allegations<\/a>, and make recommendations to lawmakers.<\/p>\n<p>The state will have a recount if the results for Harris and Trump come within half a percentage point.<\/p>\n<p>Trump has praised the board, whose three of five members are closely aligned with him. Its chairman, Republican John Fervier, recently called out the three other Republicans and accused them this week of taking the law into their own hands.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Our job is to clarify law, not create new law,&rdquo; Fervier, vice president of risk management and security for Waffle House, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ajc.com\/politics\/state-election-board-chair-john-fervier-says-his-gop-peers-abused-power\/MXT2PYFGAZGCLLQ4B6KTPG5VBY\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>told<\/a> the<em> Atlanta Journal-Constitution<\/em> in an interview published Monday. &ldquo;This doesn&rsquo;t need to be an activist board. This board needs to stay within its boundaries.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The board <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ajc.com\/politics\/reinvestigation-of-fultons-2020-election-ordered-by-georgia-election-board\/EZHO5IMF7NFWJD7RK3BICCJFQA\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>voted<\/a> in August to reopen an investigation into Fulton County&rsquo;s 2020 presidential recount.<\/p>\n<p>The board has been sued at several points, including by former Republican state Rep. Scot Turner and Chatham County election board member James Hall, on the basis that it overstepped its authority.<\/p>\n<p>The Democratic Party has also sued and the Harris campaign has publicly supported the lawsuit.<\/p>\n<p>Last month, the board voted to require a hand count of all ballots on election night, further delaying election results.<\/p>\n<p>The Georgia Association of Voter Registration and Election Officials <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ajc.com\/politics\/georgia-election-officials-organization-opposes-rule-changes\/252HYNHEP5GAXEZ5MMF6QYGLSE\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>pleaded<\/a> with the state board in September to stop changing the rules so close to an election.<\/p>\n<p>Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney <a href=\"http:\/\/election%C2%A0result%20must%20be%20certified%20by%20an%20%E2%80%9Cimmovable%20deadline%E2%80%9D%20of%20Nov.%2012%20after%20two%20recent%20rules%20passed%20by%20the%20state%20Board%20of%20Elections%20were%20challenged%20by%20Democrats.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>ruled<\/a> Tuesday that the Georgia election results must be certified by Nov. 12, one week after Election Day. The Georgia Democratic Party and the Democratic National Committee have challenged two recent rule changes by the state board that they warned could delay the certification process.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Trump voters turn out on day one of early voting<\/h2>\n<p>Despite the infighting within the GOP and across the state, voting in Fulton County&rsquo;s more than 40 polling sites got off to a fast start Tuesday. <\/p>\n<p>Of several dozen voters on their way in and out of the Buckhead Library, just three identified as Trump voters and were willing to speak about their decision to vote for him this election. <\/p>\n<p>Voters were not completely reassured that the county&rsquo;s election would be on the up and up but said the process was in a far better place now than four years earlier.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I do think it was kind of loosey goosey last time, and I think that they&rsquo;ve tried to address some of that, so hopefully there will be closer scrutiny,&rdquo; said Nikki Fortson, a retiree who has lived in Georgia all about four years of her life.<\/p>\n<p>Glenn Hagan of Fulton County said he was not worried this time around because of actions that the state had taken to shore up the election.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t feel concerned now. I think there&rsquo;s some things that the state has done to make sure that, or at least make things better than maybe they were before. Whether those things happened in the past, I&rsquo;m not sure, but there&rsquo;s enough talk about it that you got to think about it that,&rdquo; said Hagan. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not sure that there&rsquo;s going to be those kind of issues. This time around,&nbsp;I&rsquo;m confident that my vote&rsquo;s going to count.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Terence Michael Byrne said he came out on Tuesday because he had faith in the state&rsquo;s voting system, which he described as superior to other states.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s the way some of the states do it &mdash;&nbsp;ballot boxes that you can just drop your vote in. That&rsquo;s crazy. This is much more secure,&rdquo; said Byrne. &ldquo;We have to show a valid state ID in order to vote. In a lot of states, you don&rsquo;t.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Trump&rsquo;s mixed messaging on early voting<\/h2>\n<p>Trump descended on Atlanta on Tuesday evening for his first visit to the city in nearly two and a half months. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We want a landslide that&rsquo;s too big to rig,&rdquo; Trump told rallygoers. &ldquo;We can&rsquo;t let anything happen. Early voting is underway. Get everyone out. Get everyone you know. Just get them all out to vote. Go tomorrow.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo\/Alex Brandon)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Trump&rsquo;s messaging on early voting has contradicted itself. Although GOP ads circling nationwide and his own speeches contain calls to vote early rather than on Nov. 5, Trump has frequently called the early voting process into question.<\/p>\n<p>At a Palm Beach, Florida, rally in July, Trump declared that &ldquo;we should have one-day voting, paper ballots, voter ID and certification of citizenship.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Trump himself voted early, in August. A day after, he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3123391\/top-five-takeaways-trump-press-conference-bedminster\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>told<\/a> reporters in a press conference that early voting was &ldquo;ridiculous.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Last month, Trump told rallygoers in Indiana, Pennsylvania, that early voting was &ldquo;stupid.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Forston said she has always preferred to come out and vote early rather than wait in long lines. The lines this year, Fortson said, were longer than anticipated but not as bad as previous elections.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t expect as many on the first day,&rdquo; said Fortson.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/WWW.WASHINGTONEXAMINER.COM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>An NBC News <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/2024-election\/dead-heat-trump-pulls-even-harris-nbc-news-poll-rcna174201\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>poll<\/a> conducted Oct. 4-8 revealed that far just 40% of voters who planned to cast a vote for Trump would do so early compared to 57% of voters for Harris.<\/p>\n<p>Among voters who planned to go on Election Day, 58% were Trump voters versus 37% for Harris.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1836543\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1836543\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Early voting in Georgia sets record high on first day<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2655,"featured_media":2355447,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/georgia-early-voting-2024.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[25322,6571,4977,21134,32076],"class_list":["post-2355446","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-early-voting","tag-elections","tag-georgia","tag-record-high","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/georgia-early-voting-2024.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2355446","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2655"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2355446"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2355446\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2355447"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2355446"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2355446"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2355446"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}