Georgia Election Day 2026: The races and what's at stake
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Georgia voters head to the polls Tuesday to help decide federal, state and local races that will determine everything from who writes laws to who picks up your trash.
- Let's not forget the proposed local school and transportation tax measures across Fulton, DeKalb and other metro counties.
Why it matters: Georgia's 2026 ballot is packed with consequential races that will affect the direction of your community, state and country.
State of play: More than 2.8 million Georgia voters have cast ballots during the early-voting period, a new state midterm record, AP reports.
- Head to your Georgia My Voter Page to confirm your polling location and view a sample ballot.
What we're watching
U.S. Senate: Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff led U.S. Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) by 7 or 8 points in two recent polls.
- Keeping the seat is critical for Democrats to regain control of the Senate.
Governor: A favorable national environment and the strong top-of-the-ticket U.S. Senate race have Democrats believing that Keisha Lance Bottoms could defeat Republican Rick Jackson, Brookings says.
- If she wins, the former Atlanta mayor will become the first Black woman elected governor in U.S. history and the first Democratic governor elected in Georgia since 1998.
Attorney general: Georgia's chief legal officer represents the state in court and may represent Georgia in challenges to federal policies.
The big picture: The period between Election Day and January, when Georgia's newly elected officials take office, could spark high drama depending on Tuesday's results.
- Gov. Brian Kemp could call a special legislative session to redraw political maps, the AJC notes.
- If Bottoms wins, Republican lawmakers could also attempt to rein in some powers of the newly elected Democratic governor.
- Neither Kemp nor Republican lawmakers have announced such plans.
What they're saying: "All of this is an open question," Kennesaw State University political science associate professor Ben Taylor told Atlanta News First. "We haven't seen this in Georgia history very often, and certainly not in the timeframe when voters are also very fairly evenly divided."
What's next: Polls are scheduled to close statewide at 7pm. To view preliminary results, head to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger's website.
- Head to Axios.com or other local news outlets for breaking results, event coverage and analysis.