ATLANTA (AP) Georgia voters on Tuesday join people in 11 others states casting votes for presidential nominees. The 12 contests occurring on ``Super Tuesday'' represent the biggest single-day delegate haul of the nomination contests.
Republicans will vote in 11 states, with 595 delegates at stake. Democrats will vote in 11 states and American Samoa, with 865 delegates up for grabs. Georgians will only be voting in the presidential race.
Here's a look at how campaigns and Georgia officials are preparing:
CAMPAIGN VISITS
Georgia politicos tout candidate visits here as a sign that the primary date change increased the state's clout.
In the final days before Tuesday's primaries, Hillary Clinton campaigned Friday in Atlanta, encouraging supporters on the final day of early voting.
Marco Rubio plans to talk with voters Saturday in Kennesaw, north of Atlanta, and plans another stop in Georgia on Monday. Ted Cruz also plans a rally Saturday in Atlanta across from the state Capitol, while Donald Trump is expected to campaign Monday evening in south Georgia coming off three straight victories in early-voting states.
During the past two weeks, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders held a rally at historically black college Morehouse College in Atlanta to attract Democrats while Ohio Gov. John Kasich visited Georgia's House and Senate before holding two events in suburbs north of Atlanta rich in Republican voters.
VOTING WHEN IT MATTERS
The number of candidates passing through Georgia is unprecedented for primaries, said Secretary of State Brian Kemp. The Republican championed a change to the March 1 date and lobbied other Southern states to join what he's called the ``SEC Primary'' after the college athletic conference.
``From my perspective our citizens are winning,'' Kemp said this week. ``It doesn't matter if you're a Republican, Democrat or independent and trying to decide which primary to vote in, they are going to still be able to vote when it absolutely matters and we are going to help shape the nominee.''
Charles Bullock, a political science professor at the University of Georgia, credited Kemp for encouraging the vote to March 1. If Georgia voters were going to the polls a month from now, ``it could all be over,'' he said.
Georgia Republicans in 2008 narrowly backed Mike Huckabee, who was closely followed by Sen. John McCain and Mitt Romney. In 2012, GOP voters backed native son Newt Gingrich over Romney.
Democrats in the state backed President Barack Obama over then-Sen. Hillary Clinton in the party's 2008 primary.
EARLY VOTING
Kemp announced Friday that more than 405,000 people voted early as the state's window closed, a record in Georgia for presidential primaries. Kemp and other election officials said earlier in the week that numbers were steady but expected a boost in the final days of early voting.
Kemp said the broad field on the Republican side could have been a factor, as people waited to see whether any candidate dropped out. Georgia's primary ballot finalized on Feb. 2 includes seven GOP candidates who have since suspended their campaigns. The Democratic ballot will include Martin O'Malley, who has since dropped out of the race.
Richard Barron, Fulton County director of registrations and elections, said early turnout ``has been lower than anticipated'' in the county that went for Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012.
``I'm not sure if it is lack of interest or people are waiting until the end to see how other contests turn out before they vote,'' Barron said.
Voting-rights advocates said they have held educational events in recent weeks, reminding voters of Georgia's identification requirements and how to get help if needed on Tuesday. Helen Butler, executive director of the Georgia Coalition for the People's Agenda, said no major issues have been reported during early voting but volunteers will monitor precincts where voters have reported issues in the past.
