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Last week of early voting | What will voter turnout look like on Election Day

The secretary of state's office estimates that by Election Day, around 75% of the votes will be cast already.

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — More than 3 million Georgians have already cast their ballot ahead of Election Day.

Early voting will wrap up in the Peach State on Friday before next week's general election will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

The secretary of state's office estimates that by Election Day, around 75% of the votes will be cast already -- either through absentee by mail or early in-person voting.

With the state reporting record turnout already, how could that impact Election Day?

For voters like Cleopatra Sykes, she's heading to the polls early, even if it means waiting in a bit of a line. Despite that, she's showing up early to make her voice heard.

"The line is pretty fast. When you get in there, it's pretty fast," Sykes said. "You just cast your ballot, and that's it."

RELATED: Here are the demographics for the more than 3 million Georgians who have voted ahead of Election Day

The Gwinnett County voter was in and out in just 10 minutes -- all to avoid what she thinks could be a rush on Election Day.

"Just to avoid the large crowds, and also with work, I just need to prioritize my work," Sykes explained.

More than 230,000 other Gwinnett County voters opted to vote early in person or by mail. They are part of the more than 3 million Georgians, or 43% of the Peach State's active voters that have already cast a ballot.

 "We always encourage people to come out and vote early and in person if they can just because it's so simple, smooth and really quick. We've had record-breaking turnout but really no lines at all," Gwinnett County Elections Supervisor Zach Manifold said.

Manifold explained that technology upgrades have cut check-in times by more than half compared to the 2020 election.

Not to mention, more than 2,000 poll workers and a more experienced staff makes the process more efficient.

"That makes a huge difference in the lines. We can process a lot more voters today than we did even just two years ago," Manifold said, adding, ""That just relieves the pressure on Election Day, and that's been a really big relief. It's a much smoother process on Election Day now that we can get a significant number of voters already through and processed and done."

And that also means less spending time in line for voters like Sykes.

This year, election workers must post the results of all absentee by mail and early in person votes by 8 p.m. on Election Night. So, we'll have a good clue as to how the state may swing on the night of the election. The expectation is to have final results in by midnight on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

The United States Postal Service recommends mailing any absentee ballots in by Tuesday in order for them to get to your local elections office by next Tuesday.

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