Georgia’s voter turnout was tops in the South in 2022

Georgians went to the polls at a higher rate during the 2022 midterms than voters in any other Southern state.

About 52% of Georgia’s voting-eligible population cast ballots in November, ranking 13th in the nation, according to the United States Elections Project at the University of Florida. Nationwide, 46% of eligible voters turned out.

In the South, the two states that came closest in turnout to Georgia were Florida and North Carolina, both at 48%.

Michael McDonald, who runs the U.S. Elections Project, said competitive races often help drive up turnout, especially in states such as Georgia, where voters believe they can make a difference. Advertising, news coverage, door-knocking and campaign spending also contribute to turnout.

“People have a lot of information, they’re being told it’s going to be a close election, they believe their vote is going to matter more, and they’re being told the stakes are very high,” McDonald said. “So people become very interested.”

Voting laws can also make a difference, McDonald said. Election Day registration and vote-by-mail policies in some states can contribute to voter participation, while laws that limit access can hinder it.

Georgia’s 2021 voting law may have both hurt and helped turnout. The measure curtailed the use of ballot drop boxes, prohibited mass mailings of absentee ballot application forms and shortened the time available to request and return absentee ballots. But it also required a second Saturday of early voting in areas that didn’t previously offer it, and Sunday voting was allowed to continue in counties that choose to provide it.

Overall, 3.96 million Georgians went to the polls for November’s election, about the same number as in the midterms four years earlier. The turnout rate dipped, though, dropping from 54% to 52% because more people were registered in 2022.

Oregon topped the nation in 2022, with turnout at more than 62%. Following closely were Maine, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and Colorado, according to the U.S. Elections Project.

Some of Georgia’s neighbors were among the lowest in turnout.

Tennessee finished at the bottom at 31%. Turnout rates in Alabama and Mississippi also were among the five lowest, along with those in Indiana and West Virginia.

JOHN SPINK/JOHN.SPINK@AJC.COM Early voters wait in line at the Joan P. Garner Library in Atlanta to cast ballots on Nov. 4 in Georgia’s midterm elections. Georgia’s voter turnout of 52% was the highest of any state in the South in the midterms.