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Early voting for Georgia runoff elections starts today

By Aaron Diamant and Mark Niesse, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
By Aaron Diamant and Mark Niesse, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Early voting for Georgia’s runoff elections is available for one week, from Monday to Nov. 30.

The runoffs will settle two statewide races in which neither Democratic nor Republican candidates won a majority of the vote in the Nov. 6 midterm election.

The contests heading for runoffs are for secretary of state and Public Service Commission. During the Nov. 6 election, Libertarian Party candidates won more than 2 percent of the vote in each race, denying their opponents an outright win.

For secretary of state, Democrat John Barrow faces Republican Brad Raffensperger. The winner will succeed Secretary of State Robyn Crittenden, who was appointed by Gov. Nathan Deal to replace Gov.-elect Brian Kemp.

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In the contest for Public Service Commission District 3, incumbent Republican Chuck Eaton is opposed by Democrat Lindy Miller.

Channel 2's Aaron Diamant spoke to voters who showed up for Day One of early voting in the high-stakes Dec. 4th runoff election.

"I had to. It was my obligation, my civic duty. I was going to be here," said Demeeka Mhoon.

“Because of the historic turnout we had for the general, we’re preparing for a big turnout for this one,” said DeKalb Elections Director Erica Hamilton.

Hamilton said while she does not expect to see anywhere near the 60-plus percent voter turnout seen in the general election, her office expects far better than the 14-percent average turnout for past runoffs.

She has a message for DeKalb County voters:

“Whether you vote on Election Day or absentee, your ballot will count, and if you have any questions, please ask us in advance, please check your voter status," she said.

To find early voting locations, voters can check with their county elections offices, which often post early voting information online. Contact information for local elections offices can be found through the secretary of state's website at elections.sos.ga.gov/Elections/countyelectionoffices.do.

Absentee voting is also available for the runoffs. Voters can fill out an absentee ballot request form and return it to their county elections offices. Mailed absentee ballots must be received by local elections offices by 7 p.m. on Election Day, Dec. 4.

All registered voters are eligible to participate in the runoff election, even if they didn’t cast ballots Nov. 6. The voter registration deadline for this year’s election was Oct. 9.

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