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ATLANTA (AP) – Latest news on Senate second round in Georgia (all local times):
12:40 p.m.
A Georgian election official said turnout appears low statewide as voters decide on the run-off election for the two U.S. Senate seats.
Tuesday’s result will determine whether Democrats or Republicans control the Senate.
Over 3 million voters cast their ballot before election day. That’s over 60% of the nearly 5 million people who voted in the November presidential election.
Senator Kelly Loeffler and fellow Republican David Perdue take on Democrats Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff. If both Republicans lose, Democrats will control both houses of Congress and the White House.
A robust early vote helped President-elect Joe Biden win Georgia in November and should also benefit Democratic Senate candidates. President Donald Trump held a rally in deeply conservative northern Georgia on Monday, hoping to lead large numbers of GOP voters to the polls on Tuesday.
Georgia’s Assistant Secretary of State Jordan Fuchs said polling stations across the state saw low turnout around noon on Tuesday. She said voters waited only about five minutes to vote.
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11:50 a.m.
Democratic Senate candidate Jon Ossoff is promising swift passage of $ 2,000 stimulus checks for coronavirus relief if Georgian voters hand over control of the Senate to Democrats.
Ossoff told reporters outside an Atlanta polling station on Tuesday that “the story is unfolding in Georgia right now” as voters decide the second round for the two state Senate seats. If Ossoff and fellow Democrat Raphael Warnock defeat Republican Senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, Democrats will control the White House and both houses of Congress.
The federal government has approved checks for $ 600 to help ease the economic hardships of the pandemic, but Republican Senate leaders have blocked efforts to raise it to $ 2,000 despite support for the higher amount from President Donald Trump.
Ossoff said Trump launched “a direct attack on Georgian voters” when he asked Georgia’s top election official to “find” votes to reverse Trump’s electoral loss in the state during an appeal weekend telephone.
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HERE’S WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE SENATE ELECTIONS OF GEORGIA
Read more:
__ Biden and Trump warn of high stakes of the second round of the Georgia Senate
__ Analysis: with appeal, Trump shows no limits when he took power
__ GA election officials reject Trump’s call to ‘find’ more votes
__ In Georgia, the presidency of Biden meets a first decisive moment
__ American lawyer appointed by Trump resigns in Georgia
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HERE’S WHAT ELSE HAPPENS:
10:15 a.m.
In the conservative east of Cobb County, dozens of Kelly Loeffler red signs and dozens of other David Perdue blue signs dot the median of the freeway at the base of Sweat Mountain, one of the highest peaks from the Atlanta metro.
In the small churches and community centers that hosted the vote on Tuesday, there were no queues but a steady flow of voters. At the United Church of Christ, a new car arrived approximately every 30 seconds. But there was no line and voters got in and out in less than 5 minutes.
A few miles south near Marietta, the Loeffler and Perdue signs have given way to signs for Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock along Powers Ferry Road. In this part of the county, Portuguese can be heard in many Brazilian restaurants and businesses such as the Brazilian Bakery and Cafe. It is one of many neighborhoods in central and southern Cobb County where increasing diversity in recent years has helped garner strong support for Democratic candidates.
Tuesday’s election will determine which party controls the US Senate.
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7 h
Georgian voters have started voting to determine which party will control the US Senate.
Polls for the second round opened statewide at 7 a.m. Tuesday and are expected to close at 7 p.m.
The results will have huge implications for President-elect Joe Biden’s ability to pass his legislative agenda on issues such as the pandemic, health care, taxation, energy and the environment.
Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock must win both races for a 50-50 Senate. This would allow Vice President-elect Kamala Harris to tip the Democratic House with the deciding vote.
Ossoff faces David Perdue, while Warnock challenges Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler and tries to become the state’s first black senator.
Over 3 million Georgians have already voted either early in person or by absent ballot. That’s over 60% of the nearly 5 million people who voted in the November presidential election.
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