Election ‘26 Nuts-and-Bolts

As recently as this spring, the national news media showered Georgia with affection and attention.

But that ardor cooled as other states clamored to be noticed.

Pundits and pollsters suggest that Georgia’s U.S. Senate race may be less competitive than others now seen as more consequential in determining control of the upper chamber of Congress. Shocking as it may seem, Georgia has been dropped from lists of Senate “battleground” states as Nov. 3 nears.

That may cause some of the national media to check the cancellation policies on their Atlanta hotel bookings, but Georgia’s Senate and gubernatorial races remain heated, and tens of millions of dollars are being spent on advertising. There’s also plenty of action down ballot.

The deadline to register to vote was Oct. 5. Early voting began Oct. 13 and runs through Oct. 30. The deadline to request an absentee ballot is Oct. 23. Polls will be open Election Day at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.

Those voting in person may notice that while poll workers will log in voters electronically, they also will record their names using pen and paper. The Republican-controlled State Election Board voted in June (4-0 with the lone Democrat joining) to use the “old school” back up method after digital check-in problems during the May primary.

As of Oct. 9, the secretary of state’s office reported 120,289 requests for mail ballots. Roughly 86 percent had been requested by voters age 41 and older, 58 percent of those requesting mail ballots were women, and 55 percent were white. [Note: Georgia is a “no excuse” state, meaning that no reason is required to request an absentee ballot. The Supreme Court ruled that the U.S. Postal Service cannot change the handling of mail ballots for this election. Advocates suggest voting in person, if possible.]

Georgia has shy of 8.2 million registered voters, of whom nearly 7.5 million are listed as active voters. The state considers voters inactive if they have not voted or had other contact with the election system for the past five years.

Of the active voters, the state classifies 51 percent as white, 30.8 percent Black, 5.1 percent Hispanic, 3.3 percent Asian or Pacific Islander, 1.1 percent American Indian or Alaska Native, and 8.3 percent Other/Unknown.

An estimated 55 percent to 60 percent of Georgia’s population lives in Metro Atlanta, compared with roughly half that in 1960. For electoral politics, that means “Rural and small-town Georgia is losing population and losing political influence,” Emory University political scientist Alan Abramowitz told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Georgia’s Jewish population in 2024 was an estimated 148,500, with 132,000 in Metro Atlanta, according to the American Jewish Year Book. The Jewish community makes up 1.31 percent of the state’s population, estimated in 2026 to be 11.4 million.

Based on Census Bureau’s age breakdown of Georgia’s population, 76.5 percent of those 148,500 — roughly 113,600 —may be of voting age. If all Jewish adults in Georgia of voting age were registered and if 80 percent voted (the approximation frequently stated for Jewish turnout), that would yield nearly 91,000 potential Jewish votes in Georgia.

The U.S. Senate race between Democratic incumbent Sen. Jon Ossoff and Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Collins remains the Georgia race with the highest national profile, but polls put Ossoff ahead by several percentage points and political websites have the outcome listed as “likely Democratic.”

Georgia’s congressional delegation currently is comprised of nine Republicans and five Democrats. All 14 seats are up for election.

Analysts will watch to see what effect the Senate race has on other contests, including the gubernatorial race between Republican Rick Jackson and Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms, which polls suggest could be close.

Democrats hope that an Ossoff victory will lift Bottoms and other Democratic candidates and Republicans are hoping for a Jackson victory to do the same for their candidates.

Further down the ballot are contests for lieutenant governor, between Democrat Josh McLaurin and Republican Greg Dolezal; for secretary of state, between Democrat Penny Brown Reynolds and Republican Tim Fleming; and for attorney general, between Democrat Tanya Miller and Republican Brian Strickland.

The full state House and Senate are up for election. Among other offices, there are statewide votes to fill two seats on the five-member Public Service Commission, which sets rates for electricity and other utilities. The ballot also includes three proposed amendments to the state constitution.

In addition to Ossoff, who is seeking a second six-year term, Jewish candidates running for the Georgia General Assembly are Democratic incumbent state Rep. Esther Panitch, who is seeking a third two-year term from House District 51; Democrat Adam Cleveland, who is challenging a Republican incumbent in House District 48, and Democrat Kevin Abel, who is running for an open seat in Senate District 14.

Republican Rep. Todd Jones’ mother is Jewish but his father was not, and the five-term incumbent in House District 25 has told the AJT that he does not identify by religion but rather by the lessons he learned from the grandparents who helped raise him.

Democrat Sarah Fuchs, whose father was Jewish, in August entered the House District 29 race against a Republican incumbent, replacing a nominee who withdrew due to health. Fuchs was not raised Jewish but said she feels connected to the community through her father’s family.

There also are Jewish candidates running for county and municipal offices in Metro Atlanta.

Republicans currently hold a trifecta in state government, with Republican Gov. Brian Kemp and majorities in the state House (99 to 81) and state Senate (33 to 23). Democrats believe they can narrow those margins, particularly in the House.

Georgia’s last Democratic governor was Roy Barnes, who served from 1999 to 2003. More than a century of Democratic control of the state House and Senate ended when Republicans won a House majority in 2002 and a Senate majority 2004.

State House members represent an average of about 59,585 residents and state Senators an average 191,523 residents, based on 2020 Census data.

Georgia legislators receive a base salary of $25,312 and a $247 per day per diem during the 40-day legislative session.

Ossoff has swamped Collins in fundraising, as Jackson has done to Bottoms.

Since Jan. 1, 2025, Ossoff had raised nearly $68.7 million and had nearly $42.6 million available, according to the June 30 campaign finance filings. Collins in the same period raised just $4.95 million and had slightly more than $2 million available. The next filing deadline for U.S. Senate and House candidates is Oct. 15.

In the gubernatorial contest — which polls suggest may be close — Jackson’s campaign reported raising nearly $119 million (including contributing $101 million of his own money) in the 2026 election cycle, and having nearly $4.32 million cash on hand. Bottoms had raised $5.77 million and had $772,000 cash on hand.

On Sept. 30, a federal district court judge ruled against U.S. Department of Justice efforts to force the state to turn over complete voter rolls, which would include unredacted addresses, birth dates, addresses, and driver’s license numbers. The judge agreed with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger that doing so would violate Georgia law, which requires that data about voters remain confidential.

On Sept. 30, a federal district court judge ruled against U.S. Department of Justice efforts to force the state to turn over complete voter rolls, which would include addresses, birth dates, addresses, and driver’s license numbers. The judge agreed with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger that doing so would violate Georgia law, which requires that data about voters remain confidential.

The State Election Board asked the Trump administration in late September to examine Georgia’s voting machines and prohibit QR-code vote counting. The Republican-controlled state legislature two years ago passed a measure requiring a change from the QR counting system, but the legislature provided no funds to make this happen and, after missing a July 2026 deadline, voted to delay action until the 2028 election cycle.