Statewide, more than a staggering 2 million Georgians cast ballots ahead of Tuesday’s election including 184,925 mail-in absentee ballots along with 1.88 million in-person votes. That more than doubles the previous record for early voting in a midterm election, set in November 2014.

Some counties reported more early voting this year than total voting in 2014. That wasn’t the case here, but it came fairly close.

In 2014, 8,147 ballots were cast in Colquitt County. The total number of registered voters then was smaller, and the ballots cast represented almost a 45 percent turnout.

Locally, more than 6,500 Colquitt Countians cast ballots ahead of Tuesday’s election. That’s roughly one-fourth of all the registered voters in the county. This number paired with the votes at the polls on election day bodes well for our community. High turnout speaks loudly that we care about the future. We want and need voices in government that represent the needs of our area and we are at the polls delivering that message.

As we write this, Colquitt Countians are still going to the polls in this year’s general election. In our opinion, citizens of Colquitt County are taking this election seriously. We are doing our civic duty by going to the polls and letting our voices be heard.

The early voting session over the last three weeks has given a multitude of Colquitt Countians the opportunity to weigh in on races that will have a lasting effect on our state and our community. Early voting is easy and we feel is a much needed addition to the process to assure better voter turnout.