Divided
About 20 days before the actual Midterms start, there is already good news from Georgia in terms of turnout.
Atlanta – The first record has already been broken in the mid-term in the USA. In Georgia, more voters took part in the early vote than any other election in the state in US history. With 131,000, nearly double the number of ballots at the same time half-term in 2018. According to the British BBC, early voter turnout was nearly as high as that of the 2020 presidential election.
These US election figures were released Tuesday night by state election officials. As a result, the number of votes cast increased by 85% over the previous year. In addition, around 12,000 voters have already participated in the postal voting. The total number of votes already cast was 143,000 and therefore even higher than that of the 2020 presidential elections. At the time, 136,739 people had already cast their votes.
Elections in the USA: Record turnout in Georgia – tight race indicated
The state of Georgia has a particularly important role to play in this year’s US elections. There, several close and decisive competitions are fought. In Georgia, in addition to the elections for the House of Representatives, the governor and the representative for the United States Senate are also elected.
Republican Herschel Walker and Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock compete there. Their duel is considered one of the most followed in the country. Walker is a close confidant of Donald Trump. If his candidate were actually able to beat the hugely popular incumbent Warnock, it would be a clear sign that Trump’s support can still bring Republicans victories.
Elections in the USA: four states decide the majorities
In the current medium-term investigations in the USA, a very close competition is emerging, especially in Georgia. Raphael Warnock’s advantage over Herschel Walker is rapidly shrinking. The scandal surrounding Herschel Walker, who urged his loved ones to have an abortion and also paid for it, although he spoke out against the right to abortion, could hardly harm the Republican.
But the seemingly high turnout should revive Democrats’ hope. Traditionally, the party of incumbent US President Joe Biden benefits more from high participation than Republicans. In addition to Georgia, the outcome in Arizona, Pennsylvania and Ohio in particular should decide on the majority in the US elections – and therefore on whether Biden can enforce any decision in the next two years of his term. (Daniel Dillmann)
