With a pair of high-profile races at stake, Georgia voters came out in record numbers for a midterm election on Monday (Oct. 17), the first day of early voting for the Nov. 8 general election. According to the Georgia secretary of state’s office, 131,318 ballots were cast in person, compared to 70,849 in-person ballots on the first day of early voting in 2018. In fact, the turnout on Monday was closer to the number of ballots cast on the first day of early voting in the 2020 presidential election year. Monday’s total reached 143,077 when the 11,759 absentee ballots were added to the total. Election officials expected the turnout pace to increase during the final week of early voting. Meanwhile, statewide reports of long lines to cast a ballot were minimal, though some voters in metro areas reported waiting more than 30 minutes in line. It appears that there’s a lot of interest among voters in the Georgia gubernatorial and U.S. Senate races. The competition for governor pits Republican Gov. Brian Kemp against Democrat Stacey Abrams in a rematch of their close race in 2018