4 days until Election Day

Read my opinion piece in today's AJC

Author

Saira Draper
October 30, 2026

This election is critically important. I know we say that every cycle, but it remains true. If we win, we can create the generational change we want to see in Georgia. If we lose, I fear things will get worse. Republicans will further the interests of billionaires who will continue to push policies that line their own pockets at our expense, and they could entrench that power for generations with gerrymandered maps.

I don’t mean to spook you this Halloween, but we need to vote in numbers too big to dispute.

Today, Friday, October 30, is the last day of early voting. 

If you haven’t voted yet, please make a plan to vote today, and encourage your family, friends, and neighbors to do the same.

If you’re unable to vote early, Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, and voting locations are open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m (On election day, you must vote at your assigned polling place).

If you have an absentee ballot, please return it to a drop box in your county during early voting hours, or to your county election office no later than 7:00 p.m. on November 3.

To find a polling location or absentee ballot drop box near you, visit votesaira.com.

In this edition of the Draper Paper:

Where we stand with early voting

Overall early voting in Georgia has been very strong, running almost 11% ahead of where we were in 2022 with one more day of early voting to go. To keep these gains, we need equally strong turnout on Election Day. A significant share of Georgia voters still cast their ballots on Election Day, so we cannot treat the early numbers as the finish line.

The left panel shows the running total of accepted early in-person, mail and electronic ballots each day of early voting. The solid line is 2026 and the dashed line is 2022, lined up by days until Election Day. Through Oct. 29, five days before Election Day, Georgia voters had cast 2,513,642 early ballots. At the same point in 2022 (Nov. 3, 2022) they had cast 2,266,138, so 2026 is 10.9% ahead. The 2026 total is already within 25,038 ballots of the 2,538,680 early and mail ballots cast in all of 2022, with Friday's early voting still to be counted. The right panel shows how the 3,958,298 Georgians who voted in the 2022 general cast their ballots: 64% voted early or by mail and 36%, or 1,419,618 voters, waited until Election Day. That Election Day vote is still ahead in 2026.

Accepted early ballots in Georgia each day through Oct. 29, 2026, compared with the same point in 2022, alongside how all 2022 general election voters cast their ballots.

The overall early turnout data offers encouraging signs. Voting by young voters has surged in the past week, many young voters are returning after sitting out the 2022 midterm. Black voters have grown as a share of the electorate, and Hispanic and Asian voters, though a smaller portion of the total, are turning out in record numbers compared to 2022. Across all groups, many early voters are either new to the polls or back after skipping the last midterm.

Each row compares early voters in 2026 with early voters at the same point in 2022, five days before Election Day. Statewide, early ballots are up 10.9%, and groups shown in green are growing faster than that. Voters ages 18 to 34 are up 31.8% (365,409 so far) and now make up 14.5% of early voters, up from 12.2% in 2022. Black voters are up 23.2% to 811,652, and their share rose from 29.1% to 32.3%. Hispanic voters have more than doubled (+117%) and Asian American voters are up 70%. Voters 65 and older are up 16.2%, while voters ages 35 to 64 and white voters are nearly flat, up less than 3%. The last column shows the share who did not vote in the 2022 general election, including voters not yet registered then: 21% of all early voters, 57% of young voters, 50% of Hispanic voters and 41% of Asian American voters. Much of this year's growth comes from new voters and from voters who skipped 2022.

Early voters through Oct. 29 by age and race, showing growth from 2022, share of all early voters, and the share who did not vote in the 2022 general election.

Our statewide races depend on Democrats voting all the way down the ballot, and one trend deserves our attention. Turnout growth in the suburbs and exurbs of Atlanta is outpacing growth in the Democratic strongholds of Fulton, DeKalb, and Clayton Counties. We need DeKalb and Clayton to turn out over these final days.

Each bar shows how much early voting has grown in that area compared with the same point in 2022. In the core counties, Fulton is up 10.1% (301,706 ballots) and DeKalb is up 11.3% (212,043), both close to the statewide rate of 10.9%. The suburbs and exurbs are growing faster. Gwinnett leads the metro area at +24.2% (210,890) and Cobb is up 16.7% (212,053). The six exurban counties of Cherokee, Forsyth, Henry, Douglas, Fayette and Rockdale are up 13.0% (320,658 combined). Clayton is up 15.3% (62,307), ahead of the exurbs but behind Cobb and Gwinnett. The other 148 counties grew 7.3%.

Growth in early ballots from 2022 to 2026 at the same point before Election Day, for Fulton, DeKalb and Clayton, Cobb and Gwinnett, six exurban counties, the rest of Georgia and the state as a whole.

Read my piece in today’s AJC: Why you should vote for Keisha Lance Bottoms

One of the most important reasons to vote for Keisha Lance Bottoms to be our next Governor is not getting enough attention. Georgia Republicans plan to redraw the state’s political maps after the election, using the Supreme Court’s Louisiana v. Callais ruling as an excuse to try to lock in legislative majorities for years, and they’ve delayed it until after you vote because they know it’s unpopular.

The one check on that power is the governor’s veto pen. Governor Keisha Lance Bottoms would have leverage and could veto everything on the Republicans wish list to bring them back to the table to draw fair maps.

Read my opinion piece in today’s Atlanta Journal Constitution here.

How you can help get out the vote this weekend

Canvass from Saira’s porch

  • Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday (Election Day) are the last chance to turnout voters!

  • Find times and details here

 Join Senator Ossoff and NJ Governor Mikie Sherrill for a canvass launch 

  • Today, October 30, at 1pm in South DeKalb

  • Register here 

Canvass from the Clayton Field Office

  • Find times and details here

More get out the vote efforts added every day

What to do if your absentee ballot did not arrive?

Many ballots in DeKalb, Cobb, and Gwinnett counties were mailed late by a vendor used to print and mail absentee ballots. This means thousands of voters have not received their ballots or received them late.

If you (or someone you know) has not received an absentee ballot you should:

  • Vote early in person if possible.

If you are a DeKalb County voter, your absentee ballot was issued before October 16, you have not received it, and you cannot vote in person:

  • Call the DeKalb County Voter Registration and Elections office at 404-298-4020 to ask them to reissue your absentee ballot to be sent to you overnight. The office will send you an affidavit to sign to cancel your original ballot and send you a new ballot. The office will also give you an overnight delivery envelope to return your affidavit and ballot on time. You can call the Elections Office during the hours listed below.

  • If you already have your ballot, you can return it to any Early Vote location in DeKalb through Friday or in person to the DeKalb Voter Registration and Elections Office over the weekend or next week, see hours below. 

  • Check your ballot issue date on the absentee ballot portal on the Secretary of State’s My Voter Page, or call the Voter Pretection Hotline at1-888-730-5816 for assistance.

If you need help returning your ballot in time or have other questions, call the Voter Protection Hotline 1-888-730-5816.  

DeKalb County Voter Registration and Elections Office
4380 Memorial Drive, Suite 300

Extended office hours

  • Saturday, October 31 and Sunday, November 1: 9 am - 2 pm

  • Monday, November 2: 9 am - 4:30 pm

  • Tuesday, November 3: 7 am - 7 pm

If you have questions about an absentee Ballot for Cobb, Gwinnett, or other counties, call the Voter Protection Hotline 1-888-730-5816. 

Get in Touch

There are several ways you can share your concerns, request assistance, or let me know about activities in our neighborhoods.  

The best way to get in touch is through the contact us form on my website. But, you can also reach me by calling the office (404-656-0265), sending an email to [email protected], or visiting the Capitol. My office is 604-D in the Coverdell Legislative Office Building across the street from the Capitol.

Support this Work

The work to turn Georgia blue is not possible without donor support. Your contribution goes toward staff salaries, operations, and communications with voters (like this newsletter!).

If you found value in this newsletter, or if value what I bring to the Georgia legislature, please consider supporting my campaign today.  

Contributions to Friends of Saira Draper are not deductible for tax purposes. State law allows individuals, corporations, and Political Action Committees to contribute a maximum of $3,300 for the primary, $1,800 for the runoff, and $3,300 for the general election.  

Yours in service,