In Georgia, polls opened at 7 a.m. on Tuesday for in-person voting in the Senate race.
The outcome of the Senate contest could have a big impact on the makeup of Congress and on the political map for the next ten years.
The nation's most competitive electoral battleground had already been destroyed by the early vote. After narrowly siding with Biden over Trump in 2020, the state elected two Democrats to the US Senate.
After no candidate got more than 50% of the vote in the general election, the race went to a second round. Chase Oliver, a Libertarian, secured 2% of the vote, preventing either of the two main candidates from getting a majority.
A special election was held a year earlier, in which he was elected. He faced a major challenge from Walker, a former football star who is supported by Trump. The gaffe-prone Walker made numerous media appearances alongside major GOP figures.
The final polls showed the candidates in a close race. Walker rebounded from a major dip in October when his campaign was hit by a series of bombshell reports about his personal life.
After it was reported that Walker paid for an ex-girlfriend's abortion years earlier, Republicans circled the wagons around the former football player. Christian Walker criticized his father on social media. Less than two weeks before the elections, a second woman came forward to say that Walker pushed her to have an abortion.
Before the allegations came to light, Walker's personal life was being scrutinized. Walker admitted earlier in the campaign that he fathered multiple other children who weren't previously known to be related to him. The Senate bid raises questions about Walker's mental health, as well as accusations by Walker's ex-wife that he had been abusive towards her.
Last week, The Daily Beast reported allegations by Cheryl Parsa, an ex-girlfriend of Walker, accusing the Senate candidate of violence and infidelity.
The balance of power in the next Congress won't be affected by the outcome of the Georgia election because Democrats have already secured majority control of the Senate. If Walker is elected, the chamber will be split evenly, giving the vice president the tie-breaking vote. It could have a big impact on the electoral map in the year 2024, as the electoral map favors Republicans.
Early-voting turnout rates have broken previous records in Georgia, according to an announcement by an elections official. The voting period was extended after the campaign won a lawsuit.
It can be hard to compare turnout from one election to the next. There was a longer early-voting period before the 2020 presidential election. A law was passed in Georgia to shorten the election schedule. With fewer days available for voters to cast their ballot, the single-day early voting totals may be higher.
Voters in Georgia have been stuck in long waits at polling sites because of a shortened early voting window.
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