The office of Georgia’s Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger reported that 3.5 million Georgians voted in the runoff election for U.S. Senate this year. That number 25% less than two years ago, when 4.5 million Georgians cast their ballots in the runoffs that took place on January 5, 2021.
This year, 44.7% of all registered voters voted in the runoff, down 13.5% from 2021, when 58.2% of all registered voters voted in the runoff. (The office of the Secretary of State distinguishes between active registered voters and inactive registered voters. We used estimates for all registered voters, active and inactive, to calculate these percentages.)
Turnout for this year’s runoff was 89.8% of the November 8 general election turnout, in which 3.9 million Georgians voted. That’s a slight decline from 2021, when the runoff turnout was 91.3% of the general election turnout, in which 4.9 million people voted.
More than 1.9 million voters cast their ballots early this year, including 1.7 million who voted early in person and over 188 thousand voters who voted absentee by mail. That number is 48% less than 2021, when 3.1 million Georgians voted early, including 2.1 million who did so in person and 1.1 million who voted absentee by mail.
The number of voters who cast their ballots on Election Day increased from two years ago. This year, over 1.6 million Georgians voted on Election Day, 20.7% more than in 2021, when 1.3 million voters did so.
Incumbent Raphael Warnock (D) defeated Herschel Walker (R) in the runoff election for U.S. Senate in Georgia on December 6, 2022.
Warnock and Walker were the top-two vote-getters in the November 8, 2022, general election, with Warnock winning 49.4% of the vote to Walker’s 48.5%. Libertarian Chase Oliver won 2.1% of the vote and did not advance to the runoff. In Georgia, a runoff is held between the two top finishers if no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote.
Warnock’s win means Democrats will expand their majority in the U.S. Senate from 50 seats to 51. Ahead of the election, The Cook Political Report’s Jessica Taylor wrote that “a 51-49 majority would give Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer more flexibility in votes and no longer require a power-sharing agreement on committees. And Vice President Kamala Harris could make fewer trips to Capitol Hill for tie-breaking votes.”
This was the second Georgia Senate election in a row to go to a runoff. In 2020, Georgia held two elections for the U.S. Senate. In the regular election, incumbent U.S. Sen. David Perdue (R) and Jon Ossoff (D) advanced to a runoff after neither received the votes to win the general election outright. In the special election to replace U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson (R), Warnock and incumbent Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R)—whom Gov. Brian Kemp (R) appointed to fill the vacancy created when Isakson retired—also went to a runoff. The runoffs occurred on January 5, 2021.
Warnock defeated Loeffler and Ossoff defeated Perdue, giving Democrats an effective majority in the U.S. Senate (the partisan split following the runoffs was 50-50, with Vice President Kamala Harris (D) casting tie-breaking votes).
Before assuming office, Warnock served as the senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. also served as pastor. Warnock’s campaign said, “As the 18th most bipartisan Senator, Reverend Warnock successfully negotiated investments for Georgia businesses to grow jobs in state and end our reliance on foreign countries like China, capped the cost of insulin for seniors to $35 a month, fought to keep open the Savannah Combat Readiness Training Center, and took on the shipping companies and big corporations making record prices while increasing costs for Georgians.”
Walker, a businessman and a Hall of Fame professional football player, represented the U.S. in the 1992 Olympics. Walker’s campaign said, “Herschel Walker is fully prepared to lower taxes and curb inflation, back law enforcement and fight back against crime. He will secure our border from drugs and illegal immigrants and take men out of women’s sports.”
As a result of a change in Georgia state law, the 2022 runoffs took place on December 6, not January 5. On March 25, 2021, Gov. Kemp signed Senate Bill 202, which shortened the time between a general election and a runoff from nine weeks to 28 days.
According to data from Open Secrets, candidate campaign committees and satellite spending groups had spent $416 million on the Georgia U.S. Senate election as of December 6, making it the most expensive Senate election of 2022. The race also ranked as the second most expensive Senate race ever, ahead of the 2020 special election between Warnock and Loeffler, and behind only the 2020 general election between Ossoff and Perdue.
Including the 2021 runoffs, four Senate runoffs have taken place in Georgia. The first Senate runoff occurred in 1992. Incumbent Wyche Fowler (D) lost to Paul Coverdell (R) in that election. In 2008, incumbent Saxby Chambliss (R) won re-election after defeating Jim Martin (D) in a runoff.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp (R) announced that the state will begin a work-for-Medicaid program, called Georgia Pathways, in July 2023. The program will require low-income individuals to complete 80 hours of work or volunteering in order to qualify for Medicaid coverage.
The program was first proposed and approved during the Trump administration, along with several other states that received approval to establish work requirements for Medicaid coverage. The Biden administration revoked approval of all state work requirements for Medicaid in 2021. Georgia sued the federal government, arguing that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) did not have the constitutional authority to block the program. The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia ruled in favor of Georgia on August 19, 2022, which authorized the state to move forward with the implementation of the program. The Biden administration has not appealed the district court’s decision as of November 22, 2022.
Proponents argue that the program will aid in expanding Medicaid by making individuals who meet the work requirements eligible for coverage. Andrew Isenhour, a spokesperson for the governor, said, “It is important to note that we are only adding people to the Medicaid rolls with this program. Georgia Pathways will expand Medicaid to otherwise ineligible Georgians who satisfy the work, job training, education or volunteer requirements,” according to Clayton News Daily.
Opponents of the program argue that the work requirement will create barriers for people who are low-income. The executive director of Georgians for a Healthy Future, Laura Colbert, said, “Full-time caregivers, people with mental health conditions or substance use disorders, and people unable to work but who have not yet qualified for disability coverage would find it hard to qualify,” according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Incumbent Raphael Warnock (D) and Herschel Walker (R) are running in the runoff election for U.S. Senate in Georgia on December 6, 2022.
Warnock and Walker were the top-two vote-getters in the November 8, 2022, general election, with Warnock winning 49.4% of the vote to Walker’s 48.5%. Libertarian Chase Oliver won 2.1% of the vote and did not advance to the runoff. In Georgia, a general election advances to a runoff between the two top finishers if no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote.
This is the second Georgia Senate election in a row to go to a runoff. In 2020, Georgia held two elections for the U.S. Senate. In the regular election, incumbent U.S. Sen. David Perdue (R) and Jon Ossoff (D) advanced to a runoff after neither received the votes to win the general election outright. In the special election to replace U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson (R), Warnock and incumbent Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R)—whom Gov. Brian Kemp (R) appointed to fill the vacancy created when Isakson retired—advanced to a runoff for the same reason. The runoffs took place on January 5, 2021.
Warnock defeated Loeffler in the runoff and Ossoff defeated Perdue, giving Democrats an effective majority in the U.S. Senate (the partisan split following the runoffs was 50-50, with Vice President Kamala Harris (D) casting tie-breaking votes).
Unlike the 2021 runoffs, the 2022 runoff will not determine control of the U.S. Senate. Democrats won 50 Senate seats in the November 8 general election, enough to maintain effective control of the chamber. If Warnock wins, Democrats would expand their majority to 51.
Before assuming office, Warnock served as the senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. also served as pastor. Warnock’s campaign said, “As the 18th most bipartisan Senator, Reverend Warnock successfully negotiated investments for Georgia businesses to grow jobs in state and end our reliance on foreign countries like China, capped the cost of insulin for seniors to $35 a month, fought to keep open the Savannah Combat Readiness Training Center, and took on the shipping companies and big corporations making record prices while increasing costs for Georgians.”
Walker is a businessman and a Hall of Fame professional football player who represented the U.S. in the 1992 Olympics. Walker’s campaign said, “Herschel Walker is fully prepared to lower taxes and curb inflation, back law enforcement and fight back against crime. He will secure our border from drugs and illegal immigrants and take men out of women’s sports.”
As a result of a change in Georgia state law, the 2022 runoffs will take place on December 6, not January 5. On March 25, 2021, Gov. Kemp signed Senate Bill 202, which shortened the time between a general election and a runoff from nine weeks to 28 days.
As of November 22, the U.S. Senate election in Georgia ranked as the second most expensive Senate election in 2022 and the fourth most expensive Senate race ever. According to data from Open Secrets, candidate campaign committees and satellite spending groups had spent $307 million in the race.
Including the 2021 runoffs, four Senate runoffs have taken place in Georgia. The first Senate runoff occurred in 1992. Incumbent Wyche Fowler (D) lost to Paul Coverdell (R) in that election. In 2008, incumbent Saxby Chambliss (R) won re-election after defeating Jim Martin (D) in a runoff.
Incumbent Raphael Warnock (D) and Herschel Walker (R) are running in the runoff election for U.S. Senate in Georgia on December 6, 2022.
Warnock and Walker were the top-two vote-getters in the November 8, 2022, general election, with Warnock winning 49.4% of the vote to Walker’s 48.5%. Libertarian Chase Oliver won 2.1% of the vote and did not advance to the runoff. In Georgia, a general election advances to a runoff between the two top finishers if no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote.
This is the second Georgia Senate election in a row to go to a runoff. In 2020, Georgia held two elections for the U.S. Senate. In the regular election, incumbent U.S. Sen. David Perdue (R) and Jon Ossoff (D) advanced to a runoff after neither received the votes to win the general election outright. In the special election to replace U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson (R), Warnock and incumbent Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R)—whom Gov. Brian Kemp (R) appointed to fill the vacancy created when Isakson retired—advanced to a runoff for the same reason. The runoffs took place on January 5, 2021.
Warnock defeated Loeffler in the runoff and Ossoff defeated Perdue, giving Democrats an effective majority in the U.S. Senate (the partisan split following the runoffs was 50-50, with Vice President Kamala Harris (D) casting tie-breaking votes).
Unlike the 2021 runoffs, the 2022 runoff will not determine control of the U.S. Senate. Democrats won 50 Senate seats in the November 8 general election, enough to maintain effective control of the chamber. If Warnock wins, Democrats would expand their majority to 51.
Before assuming office, Warnock served as the senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. also served as pastor. Warnock’s campaign said, “As the 18th most bipartisan Senator, Reverend Warnock successfully negotiated investments for Georgia businesses to grow jobs in state and end our reliance on foreign countries like China, capped the cost of insulin for seniors to $35 a month, fought to keep open the Savannah Combat Readiness Training Center, and took on the shipping companies and big corporations making record prices while increasing costs for Georgians.”
Walker is a businessman and a Hall of Fame professional football player who represented the U.S. in the 1992 Olympics. Walker’s campaign said, “Herschel Walker is fully prepared to lower taxes and curb inflation, back law enforcement and fight back against crime. He will secure our border from drugs and illegal immigrants and take men out of women’s sports.”
As a result of a change in Georgia state law, the 2022 runoffs will take place on December 6, not January 5. On March 25, 2021, Gov. Kemp signed Senate Bill 202, which shortened the time between a general election and a runoff from nine weeks to 28 days.
As of November 22, the U.S. Senate election in Georgia ranked as the second most expensive Senate election in 2022 and the fourth most expensive Senate race ever. According to data from Open Secrets, candidate campaign committees and satellite spending groups had spent $307 million in the race.
Including the 2021 runoffs, four Senate runoffs have taken place in Georgia. The first Senate runoff occurred in 1992. Incumbent Wyche Fowler (D) lost to Paul Coverdell (R) in that election. In 2008, incumbent Saxby Chambliss (R) won re-election after defeating Jim Martin (D) in a runoff.
Both of the candidates running in the November 8, 2022, general election for Georgia House of Representatives District 107 — incumbent Samuel Park (D) and Hai Cao (R) — completed Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey. These survey responses allow voters to hear directly from candidates about what motivates them to run for office.
Eighty-eight of the country’s 99 state legislative chambers will hold regularly scheduled elections in 2022. The Republican Party controls both chambers of Georgia’s state legislature. Georgia is one of 23 states with a Republican trifecta.
Here are excerpts from candidates’ responses to the question: What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
Park:
“If re-elected, I will continue to work on addressing Georgia’s healthcare challenges because that remains one of our biggest unmet needs. While we have made incremental progress, much remains to be done. Medicaid expansion remains good public policy, as demonstrated in 38 other states. Covering our uninsured population, would reduce the billions of uncompensated healthcare costs that have forced so many hospitals in Georgia to close, and expand access to preventative care that will improve health outcomes in a fiscally responsible manner.”
Cao:
“The freedom of choice, the economics freedom, and the rules of law this ‘Land of the Braves’ have afforded me a successful transition from a poor political refugee escaped the North Vietnamese communists who invaded my South vietnam in 1975 to a successful system engineer in Space Electronics industry. As State Representative, I will fight to preserve the freedom, capitalism, and the rules of law in Georgia for younger generations as a form of ‘pay it forward’.”
Click on the candidates’ profile pages below to read their full responses to this and other questions.
We ask all federal, state, and local candidates with profiles on Ballotpedia to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Ask the candidates in your area to fill out the survey.
Both of the candidates running in the November 8, 2022, general election for Georgia House of Representatives District 54 — incumbent Betsy Holland (D) and John Bailey (R) — completed Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey. These survey responses allow voters to hear directly from candidates about what motivates them to run for office.
Eighty-eight of the country’s 99 state legislative chambers will hold regularly scheduled elections in 2022. The Republican Party controls both chambers of Georgia’s state legislature. Georgia is one of 23 states with a Republican trifecta.
Here are excerpts from candidates’ responses to the question: What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?
Holland:
“I will protect women’s access to healthcare, including access to birth control, fertility treatments and abortion.”
I support common sense measures to reduce gun violence in our communities, including limiting the sale of semi-automatic weapons and requiring basic in-home safety measures.”
“I support fully funding public education, and I support additional pay raises and benefits expansions for teachers and other education professionals.”
Bailey:
“Stop the Crime”
“Improve Education”
“Provide representation and leadership to the residents of the district.”
Click on the candidates’ profile pages below to read their full responses to this and other questions.
We ask all federal, state, and local candidates with profiles on Ballotpedia to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Ask the candidates in your area to fill out the survey.
Incumbent Brad Raffensperger (R), Bee Nguyen (D), Ted Metz (L), and Brenda Nelson-Porter (write-in) are running for Georgia secretary of state on November 8, 2022.
Raffensperger was elected secretary of state in 2018 after serving two terms in the Georgia House of Representatives. His dispute with former President Donald Trump (R) about the outcome of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia has drawn national attention to this race. According to Raffensperger, “When Georgia’s election results were questioned in 2020, The system [I] deployed was proven accurate after two recounts and a full audit…For the first time, it was possible to recount Georgia’s vote by hand, if necessary.” Raffensperger’s campaign has focused on the new election policies enacted during his time in office and his response to the public pressure and national scrutiny he received after the 2020 election.
Nguyen has represented District 89 in the Georgia House of Representatives since 2017. Nguyen replaced gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams (D) in the 89th district. Nguyen says “Raffensperger is no election hero” and criticizes his support for election policies like exact match voter registration, which she says she fought to overturn in the state House of Representatives. According to Nguyen, “What we’re looking at here is a secretary of state who talks out of both sides of his mouth.” Nguyen says that if elected she will uphold the law and protect the freedom to vote in Georgia. A win would make Nguyen the first Asian-American to win statewide election in Georgia.
Metz, a libertarian, and Nelson-Porter, a nonpartisan write-in candidate, are also running in this race.
This is one of 27 elections for secretary of state taking place in 2022. All but three states have a secretary of state. Although the specific duties and powers of the office vary from state to state, secretaries of state are often responsible for the maintenance of voter rolls and for administering elections. Other common responsibilities include registering businesses, maintaining state records, and certifying official documents. There are currently 27 Republican secretaries of state and 20 Democratic secretaries of state. Click here for an overview of all 27 secretary of state elections taking place in 2022.
A state government triplex refers to a situation where the governor, attorney general, and secretary of state are all members of the same political party.
As of October 4, 2022, there are 23 Republican triplexes, 18 Democratic triplexes, and 9 divided governments where neither party holds triplex control.
As of 2022, Georgia was both a Republican trifecta and a Republican triplex.
Both of the candidates running in the November 8, 2022, general election for Georgia House of Representatives District 68 — Tish Naghise (D) and Stoney Mathis (R) — completed Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey. These survey responses allow voters to hear directly from candidates about what motivates them to run for office.
Eighty-eight of the country’s 99 state legislative chambers will hold regularly scheduled elections in 2022. The Republican Party controls both chambers of Georgia’s state legislature. Georgia is one of 23 states with a Republican party trifecta government.
Here are excerpts from candidates’ responses to the question: What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
Naghise:
“Our Democracy is in jeopardy of being lost. We have to ensure everyone eligible to vote can and do it in a manner that is easily accessible”
Mathis:
“Reducing crime, the fear of crime and improving the quality of life for Americans Voter Fraud”
Click on candidates’ profile pages below to read their full responses to this and other questions.
We ask all federal, state, and local candidates with profiles on Ballotpedia to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Ask the candidates in your area to fill out the survey.
U.S. District Judge Lisa Godbey Wood ruled August 19 in favor of Georgia after the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) rescinded a Medicaid waiver for the state’s Pathways to Coverage program. Georgia brought the lawsuit after CMS under the Trump administration approved the state’s Section 1115 application for the waiver in October 2020 and then rescinded the waiver in early 2021 under the Biden administration, formally denying the application in December 2021. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) sent a letter notifying CMS that the state was filing a lawsuit on January 19, 2022.
Judge Wood said CMS’ 2021 decision to revoke the waiver authorizing Georgia’s experimental Pathways to Coverage program was arbitrary and capricious.
Georgia officials say the Pathway to Coverage program would extend Medicaid assistance to additional individuals below the federal poverty line. It would offer healthcare coverage to individuals who work at least 80 hours per month or spend at least 80 hours per month engaged in another qualifying activity (including college, community service, and vocational training) who would not otherwise qualify for assistance under traditional Medicaid programs. The program would also cover health premiums for qualifying individuals with insurance from their employers.
The program would not establish new qualifications for individuals currently eligible for Medicaid.
