Early voting begins across Georgia
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Early voting starts Monday for wide-open races to lead some of Georgia's most powerful offices — plus low-profile contests that could have an outsized impact.
Why it matters: Voters are picking state leaders who will decide important issues that affect their everyday lives, from energy bills to criminal justice.
Context: Georgia primaries often draw low turnout, and a small segment of voters decides who advances in crowded races.
Top races on everyone's ballot:
🏛️ Governor: Billionaire health care businessman Rick Jackson's late entrance reshaped the Republican primary, which includes Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Attorney General Chris Carr.
- On the Democratic side, a crowded field is competing to end 20-plus years of Republican rule and define the party's direction in a post-Brian Kemp era.
🥈 Lieutenant governor: Democratic state Sens. Nabilah Parkes and Josh McLaurin went from colleagues to competitors in a race to preside over the Senate.
- A crowded Republican field — including several sitting and former state senators — means the race is likely to head to a runoff.
🗳️ Secretary of state: The open-seat race for the job of Georgia's top elections official remains under great scrutiny after the 2020 elections.
- Republican candidates include Gabriel Sterling, a longtime deputy of incumbent Brad Raffensperger, and Kelvin King, a Trump supporter who's married to a State Election Board member.
🧑⚖️ Georgia Supreme Court: Georgia judicial elections are typically sleepy and nonpartisan. Not this year.
- Lawyer Miracle Rankin and former state Sen. Jen Jordan have launched coordinated challenges against Kemp-backed incumbent justices Charlie Bethel and Sarah Warren, turning the races into rare, high-stakes ideological contests.
What's next: The primary is May 19. Many of these races are likely headed to runoffs on June 16.