Georgia voters turned out in record numbers as the battleground state opened early voting for the Nov. 5 presidential election between Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump, state officials said Tuesday.

At least 252,000 voters had cast their ballots at early voting sites by 4:00 p.m. EDT (2000 GMT), nearly double the 136,000 who cast ballots on the first day of early voting in the 2020 election, Georgia’s Gabriel Sterling said second largest election official. “Spectacular turnout,” he wrote on social media.

Trump expressed enthusiasm for early voting in Georgia at a campaign rally in Atlanta.

“The votes are coming in and they are at a good level for us,” he said.

Early voting, either in person or by mail, is becoming increasingly popular among U.S. voters. According to the University of Florida’s Election Lab, nearly one in seven voters cast their ballot before Election Day in 2020. But many Republicans opposed the dramatic expansion of mail-in voting this year, saying it was less secure than in-person voting, and Trump cited false claims of mail-in voting fraud as he unsuccessfully tried to overturn his loss to Democrat Joe Biden.

Some Republicans continue to insist that voters should only be able to cast their ballots in person on Election Day, although party officials are encouraging their supporters to vote early.

Nationwide, 5.5 million Americans have already voted this year, according to Election Lab. By contrast, at this point in the 2020 election, 27 million people had cast their ballots as voters sought to avoid crowded polling stations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Like several other states, Georgia has since tightened its mail-in voting laws. Voters who want to vote by mail will now have to provide proof of identification and the number of locations where they can drop off their ballots will be limited.

Georgia is one of seven battleground states expected to play a crucial role in deciding the election.

(Reuters)