Early Voting Update: A Rainy Night in Georgia for GOP?

Paulo Prada reports from Dublin, Ga., on the presidential race. With early voting in Georgia over, Democrats are starting to think the unthinkable: the state could turn blue. A record 1.99 million people, or 36% of Georgia’s registered voters, cast ballots during the 45-day early-voting period, which ended midday Saturday, according to statistics from the Georgia Secretary of State’s office. That is more than 60% of the 3.28 million total voters in the 2004 presidential election, and far more than the number who voted early that year. African-Americans and other minorities, who are expected to lean heavily toward the Democratic ticket, cast about 35% of the early ballots, though they account for only 29% of the total electorate. Around Atlanta, where a large African-American population forms the state’s strongest base of Democratic support, long lines snaked through hallways of polling stations and on sidewalks outside last week as voters endured waits sometimes surpassing three hours. ... (link)