Today is Election Day in Georgia and the nation is watching. Two critical Senate runoff elections that will determine which party will have US Senate control are scheduled today in the Peach State.
Republican incumbent Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler face off against Democratic challengers Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock, respectively.
Coverage of the election is set to begin at 4 p.m. on CNN on Tuesday (January 5). Local and national coverage of Georgia’s polls should continue into the evening as well. Viewers can tune in via web, mobile device, or on their TV.
Leaders have already called for patience as election precincts tabulate millions of ballots, just two months after the November General Election, and three subsequent recounts in the state.
The runoffs have saturated much of the news cycle on a state and national level, as the incoming administration of President-elect Joe Biden looks to pass major legislation through Congress in response to the coronavirus pandemic and its economic fallout.
Donald Trump made headlines for a recorded phone call he made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger where he pressured the secretary to “find 11,780 votes,” in an effort to overturn November’s election results.
Trump was campaigning in Georgia in recent days and called on Vice President Mike Pence publicly to assist him in his fleeting fight.
A Critical Fight
During the early voting period for the runoffs which began December 14 and ended December 31, voting rights activists filed lawsuits against several Georgia counties, accusing local election officials of systematically closing polling locations in Black neighborhoods. Their efforts got additional locations opened for voters.
Organizers also boasted getting several tens of thousands of new voters registered for the runoffs. These are voters who didn’t vote in November’s election, but got registered to vote in today’s election (January 5).
Both parties have spent record sums on campaigning efforts. A collective total of half a billion dollars was spent in advertising in the last two months.
Coverage of the election will continue as counties report results in the runoff races.
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