Black voters have cast 33 percent of the more than 1.78 million ballots submitted so far in Georgia’s 2026 general election, according to data from the Georgia Votes tracking site. Georgia has one of the closest governor’s races in the country.

As of October 26, Georgia Votes counted 1,780,239 ballots, including 1,697,616 cast in person and 82,623 returned by mail. Black voters accounted for 587,756 of them. White voters made up 53 percent, Hispanic voters 3.2 percent, and Asian voters 2.7 percent.

The Secretary of State’s office puts turnout at 23.7 percent of Georgia’s 7.53 million active voters, FOX 5 Atlanta reports. In-person voting has run ahead of the 2022 pace since a record first day on October 13, when 188,667 ballots were cast.

The Races on the Ballot

The governor’s race pits former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, the Democratic nominee, against Republican Rick Jackson, a billionaire healthcare executive backed by outgoing Gov. Brian Kemp, who is term-limited. If elected, Bottoms would be Georgia’s first woman and first Black governor. She would also be the first Black woman elected governor of any state.

The race is effectively tied. An AJC poll conducted by the University of Georgia from October 7 to 15 found Jackson at 46 percent and Bottoms at 45 percent. Eight percent were undecided, and the margin of error was 3.1 points. The AJC reports that Jackson has spent at least $108 million of his own money in the race.

Georgians are also choosing a U.S. senator. Incumbent Democrat Jon Ossoff faces Republican Mike Collins.

The early electorate skews female and older. Women have cast 55.7 percent of ballots and men 44 percent. Voters 65 and older make up 42.5 percent, while voters ages 18 to 29 account for 8.6 percent. According to an earlier AJC analysis, about a third of early voters who skipped the 2022 general election are Black.

What Voters Need to Know

Advance voting runs through Friday, October 30, and Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Voters can cast an early ballot at any advance voting site in their county of registration. They can confirm their registration and find sites on the Georgia My Voter Page at mvp.sos.ga.gov. Site hours vary by county.

For now, the numbers show strong early turnout from Black Georgians, but the final electorate will not be known until polls close on November 3. In a race this close, the gap between who has voted and who has not yet voted may decide Georgia’s next governor.