COLUMBUS, Ga. - Friday, Oct. 30, is the final day of advance voting in Muscogee County for the Nov. 3 general election, with five Columbus locations open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The latest available GeorgiaVotes figures show 32,307 county residents had already cast ballots through Tuesday, Oct. 27, about 6% more than at the same point in the 2022 election. The total includes 29,797 in-person advance votes and 2,510 mail ballots.

The county's advance voting schedule ends Friday after a period that began Oct. 13. Three locations have been available throughout the period, and two additional locations opened Oct. 24. All five are scheduled to operate during the same 12-hour window Friday.

5 Columbus Early Voting Sites Open Until 7 p.m. Friday

The Muscogee County Board of Elections and Registration lists five advance voting sites for the final day. During advance voting, residents may use any available location rather than their assigned Election Day precinct. The county's published schedule identifies the following addresses and hours.

The Shirley Winston Rec Center, Elizabeth Bradley Turner Center and City Services Center have been designated for the full advance voting period. Valley Healthcare and the Blackmon Road location were added for Oct. 24-30. Friday is the final scheduled day at all five locations.

The county also provides an absentee ballot collection drop box at the City Services Center, 3111 Citizens Way. The drop box operates only during advance voting hours and closes at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30. That deadline is separate from the Election Day deadline for county officials to receive absentee ballots.

32,307 Ballots Represent 22.9% of Registered Voters

GeorgiaVotes reported 32,307 Muscogee County residents had voted through Tuesday, Oct. 27. The county had 141,231 registered voters in the site's data, putting participation at approximately 22.9%. The total consists of 29,797 early in-person ballots and 2,510 mail ballots.

The website's Oct. 28 update was posted at 7:20 a.m., but its most recent daily turnout figures covered Oct. 27. Ballots cast Wednesday, Thursday and Friday were not included in that reporting period. The figures therefore represent a snapshot before the final three days of advance voting.

GeorgiaVotes compiles information from public absentee voter files maintained by the Georgia Secretary of State. The independently operated website counts ballots when records show an accepted status and a ballot return date. Its totals are updated daily, and figures for earlier days can be revised as late-arriving records are added.

1,820 More Ballots Than the Comparable 2022 Pace

Muscogee County's 32,307 ballots through Oct. 27 exceeded the comparable 2022 figure of 30,487 by 1,820. Dividing that difference by the 2022 total produces an increase of approximately 5.97%, or 6.0%. The comparison uses the same number of days remaining before Election Day, rather than matching calendar dates between the two election years.

The county moved from trailing the 2022 pace earlier in the reporting period to exceeding it by Tuesday. On Oct. 23, Muscogee had recorded 23,781 ballots compared with 25,090 at the equivalent point in 2022. By Oct. 27, the county's cumulative total was ahead by 1,820 ballots.

The latest data show 2,864 ballots were added to the cumulative total on Monday, Oct. 26, followed by another 2,748 on Tuesday. Those increases helped move the county ahead of its comparable 2022 pace. Because the website updates daily, totals for earlier dates can be revised; its Oct. 26 figure now stands at 29,559.

GeorgiaVotes' historical comparison shows 38,932 cumulative ballots at the equivalent final Friday of advance voting in 2022. Using the latest 2026 total of 32,307, another 6,625 ballots would bring Muscogee to that historical comparison figure. That arithmetic is a comparison of recorded totals, not a projection of turnout for the remaining days.

Georgia Turnout Reaches 2.13 Million

Statewide, GeorgiaVotes reported 2,128,281 ballots cast in its Oct. 28 update. That included 2,029,893 early in-person ballots and 98,388 mail ballots. The total was 176,127 above the comparable 2022 figure of 1,952,154, an increase of approximately 9%.

Muscogee County's 32,307 ballots accounted for approximately 1.5% of the reported statewide total. Across Georgia, residents ages 65 and older accounted for 872,744 ballots, or 41.0% of those recorded. Another 617,644 ballots came from people ages 50-64, while voters ages 18-29 accounted for 194,124.

GeorgiaVotes also reported that 409,748 people who had cast ballots in the 2026 general election had not voted in the 2022 general election. That represented approximately 19.3% of the statewide total at the time of the update. These figures describe voting history and participation, not the outcome of any contest.

Election Day Is Tuesday, Nov. 3

Election Day voting takes place Tuesday, Nov. 3, from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. Unlike advance voting, residents must use their assigned polling place on Election Day. Georgia's Secretary of State says anyone already in line by 7 p.m. may still vote.

The county's precinct list shows 25 polling locations. Residents can find their assigned location through the Secretary of State's My Voter Page, which also provides registration information and sample ballots. The county directs residents to that resource for absentee ballot status and provisional ballot status.

Georgia requires photo identification for in-person voting under O.C.G.A. 21-2-417. The county elections office provides free Georgia voter identification cards, and our Oct. 29 story covers ID rules in detail. The elections office is on the second floor of the City Services Center at 3111 Citizens Way.

Absentee Ballots Must Arrive by 7 p.m. Nov. 3

For ordinary civilian absentee ballots, the Georgia Secretary of State requires the county registrar to receive completed ballots by the close of polls on Election Day. That deadline is 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3, rather than merely having a ballot postmarked by that date. The county's advance voting drop box closes earlier, at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30.

The county lists a separate exception for qualifying military and overseas absentee ballots. Those ballots may be accepted up to three days after Election Day if they carry an Election Day postmark. The exception does not change the ordinary civilian absentee ballot receipt deadline.

Muscogee County's elections office can be reached at 706-653-4392 or [email protected]. Absentee ballot questions can be directed to [email protected]. The office lists regular weekday business hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., excluding holidays.

Counting Begins Before Election Day; Certification Scheduled Nov. 9

The Board of Elections scheduled absentee ballot processing for Wednesday, Oct. 28, beginning at 1 p.m. Its public notice says absentee ballot tabulation and adjudication are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Election Day in the City Services Center Council Chambers. Advance voting ballots are also scheduled for tabulation at the City Services Center on Nov. 3.

The board's notice identifies the process as open to the public, with observers sequestered until polls close. The board has scheduled its next monthly meeting for Monday, Nov. 9, at 2 p.m. Certification of the Nov. 3 general election is scheduled to follow that meeting at 3 p.m.

## How we did this Columbus Times used Muscogee County's official advance voting flyer, election information pages and Board of Elections notices for polling locations, hours, deadlines and counting procedures. Turnout figures came from GeorgiaVotes.com data retrieved Oct. 28, 2026, with daily totals through Oct. 27; Columbus Times calculated the percentage changes and ballot differences from those figures. Election Day polling hours and absentee ballot deadlines came from Georgia Secretary of State guidance, and GeorgiaVotes is an independent website rather than an official state election reporting service.