Sense of urgency hangs over final day of early voting in Georgia Senate runoffs

Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler urged voters to remember that New Year’s Eve marked the final day of early voting in Georgia ahead of the high-stakes runoff races next week.

“I need you to call, text or email five friends or family members and make sure that they have voted,” Ms. Loeffler said in a video posted Thursday on social media. “We are the firewall to stopping socialism in America.”

Ms. Loeffler’s race against Democrat Raphael Warnock, and fellow GOP Sen. David Perdue’s reelection push against Democrat Jon Ossoff have seized the attention of the political world.

The twin races will determine the balance of power in the Senate, where Republicans hold a slim majority.

If Democrats flip both seats it will give Vice President-elect Kamala Harris the tie-breaking vote in the Senate.

Video footage out of Georgia Thursday showed hundreds lined up outside polling places before they opened, underscoring the sense of urgency that hangs over the last day of early voting.

More than 2.8 million people have already voted, according to Georgia Votes, a nonpartisan election tracker.

The tally includes nearly 105,000 people who did not cast ballots in the Nov. 3 election where Democrat Joseph R. Biden became the first Democrat since 1992 to carry the state in a presidential election.

President Donald Trump has contested the results, alleging massive voting fraud and corruption.

Mr. Trump has blamed Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and other statewide GOP leaders in the state for allowing it to happen on their watch.

The Senate contests advanced to Jan. 5 runoff elections after the candidates failed to clear the 50% threshold needed to win their seats outright.

The four candidates in recent days have been barnstorming the state, delivering their closing arguments and urging their supporters to get to the polls.

They will get a boost from their party’s biggest names over the coming days.

Ms. Harris is slated to visit the state Sunday on behalf of Mr. Ossoff and Mr. Warnock.

That will help set the stage for competing visits Monday from Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden on Monday.