Turnout in Northwest Georgia lagged behind record statewide turnout Tuesday during Georgia’s primary elections, according to unofficial data from the Secretary of State’s office.
The 14th Congressional District saw 21.9%, or 125,304 out of 571,000, of registered voters in the region participate, more than 6% lower than the state average.
Voter participation Tuesday fell between rates for the April 7 runoff, which saw more participation than Tuesday’s primaries, and the March 10 open ballot special election, which saw less. There was a 2% increase Tuesday compared to turnout in March and a nearly 1% decrease when compared to last month’s runoff, according to the Secretary of State’s website.
About 20% of registered voters in the 14th Congressional District took part in the March 10 special election. That figure was 22.6% for the April 7 runoff.
March’s election had the lowest turnout among the three most recent congressional special elections in the country.
The Secretary of State’s Office said Tuesday’s primary saw a record statewide turnout with 2 million Georgia voters participating, or 28% of registered voters, 1% more than the most recent midterm primary in 2022.
Primary participation generally hovers at 20% across the country, according to a study by the Bipartisan Policy Center in 2023.
Cobb and Floyd counties had the highest turnouts in the 14th Congressional District on Tuesday with 31% and 26.6%, respectively.
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Murray County, at 18.5%, and Walker County, at 20.5%, had the two lowest percentages of voter turnout in the district. Chattooga County fared slightly better than Walker at 20.7%.
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Contact Northwest Georgia reporter Ignacio Perez at iperez@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6710.