Early Voting Begins in Georgia Primary Runoffs for Governor and US Senate

Jun 8, 2026

Early voting has begun in Georgia for the June 16 primary runoff elections, which were triggered because no candidate secured over 50% of the vote in May. Key races include the Republican contests for governor between Burt Jones and Rick Jackson, and for U.S. Senate between Mike Collins and Derek Dooley. The winners will advance to the November general election to face Democratic nominees Keisha Lance Bottoms and Sen. Jon Ossoff, respectively.

Georgia primary runoff races

▪The Republican U.S. Senate runoff features U.S. Rep. Mike Collins and former football coach Derek Dooley.
▪In the Republican primary runoff for Georgia governor, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and health care executive Rick Jackson are competing.
▪Runoffs will also decide nominees for lieutenant governor, secretary of state, and other statewide offices.
▪The winner of the Republican Senate runoff will challenge Democratic incumbent U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff in the fall.
▪The winner of the Republican gubernatorial runoff will face Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms, a former Atlanta Mayor, in the November general election.

Early voting schedule

▪The last day for early voting is Friday, June 12, 2026.
▪The primary runoff election day is June 16, 2026.
▪Early voting for Georgia's primary runoff election began on June 8, 2026.

Voting location information

▪On Election Day, voters are required to vote at their specific assigned precinct.
▪Voters can check their sample ballot and find their polling precinct information online at mvp.sos.ga.gov.
▪During the early voting period, voters can cast their ballot at any early voting location within the county where they are registered.

Runoff ballot eligibility rules

▪Those who voted with a nonpartisan ballot or did not vote in the primary can choose either a Republican or Democrat ballot for the runoff.
▪Voters who participated in a party's primary must vote with the same party's ballot in the runoff.

Georgia runoff election mechanics

▪Lower turnout in runoff elections can increase the influence of those who do cast a ballot.
▪Political experts say that voter turnout typically drops during runoff elections.
▪The two candidates who received the most votes in the primary advance to the runoff election.
▪Under Georgia law, a runoff is automatically triggered if no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote in a primary.