Did you vote early? Over 50,000 Macon-Bibb, Houston Co. residents showed up to polls

The turnout during early voting typically correlates to how many people will show up on Election Day.

If that proves to be true this year, Middle Georgia voters waiting to go to the polls on Tuesday may see an unusually large number of people for a midterm election.

The three-week long early voting period brought out 55,513 voters in Macon-Bibb and Houston counties, which greatly outpaces early voting in the 2014 election when about half the amount voted in person.

There were also a little under 3,500 absentee ballots sent into Bibb as of Thursday. When added to in-person voting of 23,809, that comes out to more than 25 percent of registered voters in the county, elections officials said this week.

“The turnout has been outstanding,” Bibb elections supervisor Jeanetta Watson said. “Voters are coming out in record numbers ... This midterm election is a very historic election here in Macon-Bibb County. Since I’ve been here the last 10 or 15 years, I’ve never seen the turnout for a midterm election with this volume.”

In Houston County, the 2014 midterm elections had fewer than 15,000 vote in person through the Thursday before Election Day. In 2016’s election — headlined by Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton — there were 34,389 voters.

This election cycle attracted 31,074 people to vote leading up to Friday, the final day of early voting, according to figures provided by Houston County Board of Elections.

This year also saw the addition of a Sunday voting day in Bibb, which attracted 1,745 voters, 500 more than a Macon-Bibb County Commission runoff held in June.

Close call?

Some of the statewide races on the ballot could be a close call if recent polls are an indication.

A poll released Friday by Cygnal shows Brian Kemp with a 49 percent to 47 percent edge over Stacey Abrams in the bid to become next governor. Libertarian candidate Ted Metz received support from four percent of respondents.

“President Trump’s popularity is providing a boost to Republicans on the ballot,” Brett Cowden, Cygnal’s vice president of client strategy, said in a news release. “The key is going to be who shows up to vote and the final partisan composition. If supporters of the president turn out, Republicans will probably win. If not, Democrats have a chance at victory in the gubernatorial race.”

Those results — and analysis of Trump’s impact — differs from the Georgia-based Southern Majority poll conducted by polling firm 20/20 Insight.

That poll has Abrams with 50 percent and Kemp receiving 46 percent of votes. The poll is based on 614 respondents and has a 4 percent margin of error.

“Trump is a drag on the Republican party in Georgia,” the news release said, citing that “34 percent of respondents said they are voting to support the president while 41 percent are voting to oppose the president.”

Also, the Cygnal poll and Southern Majority’s poll show differences in whether Republicans or Democrats have the lead in some other state races.

For instance, Southern Majority’s survey has Democrat John Barrow up six points on Republican Brad Raffensperger for secretary of state. Meanwhile, Cygnal’s poll has Raffensperger ahead 47 percent to 45 percent.

Among the races in Middle Georgia are the battle to become the next Monroe County sheriff, Bleckley County coroner Danny Mathis and communications consultant Jessica Walden competing for Ga. House District 144 seat, and incumbent U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop facing Republican challenger Herman West, Jr.

This story was originally published November 2, 2018 at 5:08 PM.