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Approximately 15,000 people have cast their ballot for the Nov. 3 general election in Troup County so far, according to county Elections and Registration Supervisor Andrew Harper.

Harper said Monday that 10,472 people have voted early in-person in the first two weeks of early voting. About 5,000 absentee ballots have been returned, he said. 

Of the early in-person ballots, 8,817 were cast at the Troup County Government Center in LaGrange, with another 1,655 cast at the Hogansville Annex. This week is the last week to vote early, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Voters registered in Troup can vote at either early voting location. 

Absentee-by-mail ballots must arrive at the county elections office by Election Day to be counted. Voters can mail their ballots or drop them off at one of three ballot drop boxes. The boxes are located at the government center, the Hogansville Police Department or West Point City Hall.

According to data from the Georgia Secretary of State’s office, in 2016, 26,392 people voted in Troup, so the number of votes this year is already about 59 percent of the 2016 total. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has said he expects a record turnout of more than 5 million votes this year, however. About 4.1 million Georgians voted in 2016.

As of Sept. 1, SoS data indicates there were 41,489 registered voters in Troup. Based on that number, 37.2 percent of registered voters have cast a ballot, though that number does not include people who registered after Sept. 1 (the deadline was Oct. 5). 

Turnout in Troup County was about 60 percent of registered in 2016, lower than the statewide figure of 76 percent.

The second week of early voting in Troup was busier than the first — 4,661 voted in the first week while 5,811 voted in the second. 

The second week also included the only Saturday early voting day. Harper said 725 people voted Saturday.

In the midst of the pandemic, Troup has already seen a 297 percent increase in absentee ballots from 2016, when 1,259 absentee ballots were cast.

The early in-person numbers have not yet surpassed 2016, when 12,679 voted early in-person in Troup. 

But the first two weeks have seen Troup reach 82 percent of the 2016 early in-person total, so that number will likely be surpassed by the end of the week. 

Statewide, more than 2.8 million ballots have been cast, the SoS announced Monday. At the same point in 2016, that number was 1.3 million, a 106 percent increase to date. As of Monday, early in-person voting has increased 49 percent statewide from the same point in 2016, and absentee by mail voting has increased 649 percent.