Sen. Raphael Warnock and former football player Herschel Walker will face off one more time on Tuesday, December 6.
In many ways, this year’s Georgia Senate runoff is a lot like the last one.
Once again, Georgia is holding a runoff after neither Sen. Raphael Warnock (D) nor his opponent, former football player Herschel Walker, got more than 50 percent in November’s general election. The stakes are high, if not quite as high as they were in 2021: Democrats already won 50 seats and kept the Senate majority, but gaining another seat could increase their power on different committees and hedge against potential losses in 2024.
There are some notable differences, though. Because of a new state election law that went into effect last year, there are key changes to the logistics of the election and who can vote in it. Those updates, ultimately, could impact participation, reducing the amount of time people have to engage in early voting and mail-in voting.
Here’s what to know about the effects of the new election law, the stakes of the runoffs, and where things currently stand between the two candidates. When is the Georgia runoff?
The runoffs will take place on Tuesday, December 6, and results could be available within one to two days, depending on how close it is. This past November, Georgia was able to announce the outcome of the Senate race a day after the general election. The state has expedited how it processes mail-in ballots compared to 2020, a change that could help get results sooner compared to past elections.
Early voting will give voters a chance to participate before December 6 as well: It will be available in all counties between November 28 and December 2, and was available in a handful of counties as early as November 22. Georgia’s Secretary of State website offers information about when each county will kick off early voting and where voters can go.
Voters can also participate in the runoff by mail. To do so, they have to submit an application for an absentee ballot to their county election office by Monday, November 28. Voters can submit these applications online, via email, mail, fax, or in-person. They’ll then have to send these ballots back or drop them off so that their county election office receives them by 7 pm on December 6, the day of the runoff.
The timing of this year’s election marks a change from how things were conducted in 2021, when there were nine weeks between the general election and the runoff. This year, there’s just four weeks, the result of a new law signed in 2021 that oversees how the state holds elections. In 2021, there were three weeks of early voting, compared to the week or less many counties will have in 2022.
That change could affect voter participation, particularly among Democrats, who are more likely to use early voting and mail-in options, the Associated Press reports.
