Politics & Government

10K+ Ballots Cast on First Day of Early Voting in Fulton County

Early voting has begun in the nation's most watched governor's race between Stacey Abrams and Brian Kemp.

ATLANTA, GA -- More than 10,000 ballots were cast Monday during the first day of early voting in Fulton County. The county has opened 20 early voting locations and 11 outreach locations in which residents can vote in the nation's most watched governor's race and other state and local elections.

“We are pleased with the high turnout on the first day of early voting,” said Richard Barron, Director, Fulton County Registration and Elections. “It is our hope that our residents will continue to take advantage of the many locations, extended hours and two weekends so they can vote early.”

Early voting continues through November 2. This year's gubernatorial election between Republican Brian Kemp and Democrat Stacey Abrams has also resulted in a record number of absentee ballots requested as well as a record number of voters being registered.

Abrams, a former state House minority leader, and Kemp are seeking to replace Gov. Nathan Deal, who cannot run for a third term.

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Abrams made history back on May 22, when she became the first African-American woman to win a major party's nomination for governor by defeating former state Rep. Stacey Evans. Two months later, Kemp won the GOP nomination after a bitter runoff with Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle.

In a state where Democrats have not won the governorship since 2002, Abrams is campaigning hard in an effort to turn out people who have not traditionally voted at the polls.Kemp, meanwhile, is touting his conservative credentials, hoping that's enough to turn back the tide of an electorate that, particularly in metro Atlanta, has grown more diverse and less staunchly conservative in recent years.

Find out what's happening in Midtownfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

From now until Election Day, your local Patch will be offering the most comprehensive and thorough election coverage of the governor's race and all of the other local races, issues and referendums that matter to you.
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