A crucial county in Georgia is going to the polls. What voters in a tight suburb who broke for Biden are saying about 2024

Voters in Georgia are breaking early voting records as the battleground state is crucial for both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump on their path to victory with just 15 days to go before Election Day.

Cobb County, which included parts of the Atlanta suburbs, was one of the closest counties in the swing state that flipped to President Biden in 2020 and helped him win the state.

Once a reliably Republican county, it has become more ethnically and racially diverse with a larger, affluent, college-educated population that has been critical to Democrats in the state.

With just over two weeks to go before Election Day, a steady stream of voters have shown up at multiple polling places across the province to cast their ballots.

Voters who showed up early expressed relief that their votes had been counted and out of the way in what they said could be one of, if not the most important election ever.

Kael Cotton, 19, of Smyrna was among the crowd of voters who turned out to vote in his first general presidential election. The young black student studying business administration cast his vote for Harris.

“When it comes to the tax code, when it comes to black and brown people and police doing things, those are top priorities for me,” he said.

Cotton said he believed the vice president would be the candidate looking out for the “little guy.”

Cotton is part of the coalition of voters Democrats consider critical to capturing the state, which includes strong voter turnout in the cities and surrounding suburbs, with support from young people, people of color and college-educated voters in the state.

Across Georgia, voters broke the record for the most votes cast on Saturday for a general election. More than 163,000 people cast their votes that day. On Tuesday, October 15, the state broke the record for the first day of early voting, with more than 313,000 people casting ballots.

Cobb County was among the top three counties to participate in early voting during its first week of operation, with more than 101,000 people voting in the first six days.

Most Cobb County voters DailyMail.com spoke to were Harris supporters and had different reasons for voting.

In the past, Democrats were more likely to participate in early voting than Republicans, as Trump discredited the process in 2020.

But Republican Party officials are trying to get their supporters to vote in 2024 any way they can, or “undermining the vote” rather than waiting until the last minute.

Turnout in the county and the state as a whole is critical for both candidates looking for victories.

Cobb County is trending blue. Biden won the suburban county with more than 56 percent of the vote in 2020 and 14 points more than Trump. It was one of the closest provinces the president could capture. Clinton won the title in 2016 by just two points, after reliably being in the red in the past.

Nicole Shields, 36, and her husband both showed up to vote for Harris. They have been voting blue since 2020.

“With Roe v Wade being overturned, health care and those types of choices for women were at the top of her list,” Shields said of issues facing her in 2024. Both she and her husband work in healthcare.

“It’s very important for us to have someone in the White House who supports women’s free choice,” she explained.

The issue was a top priority for several people who turned out to vote early in Georgia. Most said they voted for Harris.

“Abortion rights, voter rights, taxes and the wars happening outside the United States are important, and just general integrity,” Margo Davis said after casting her vote for vice president.

“I think people are very focused on this election and it’s emotional,” she said.

Frank Bailey, 58, said he was impressed by the way the vice president talked about helping the middle class.

“She came into the race late, so I didn’t know much about her, but from what I’ve learned so far, I’m impressed. “The way I think about it, Trump can’t be the next president.”

A new USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll shows Harris ahead 2-to-1 nationally among early voters.

While it seemed like more Harris voters showed up in Cobb County to vote early that day, there were also some Trump supporters in a nearby county.

George Brenick came to vote early because he would be out of town on Election Day and wanted to vote for Trump.

“I just believe he’s the better candidate, the only candidate really,” he said. “We have a lot of work to do.”

Natalie Dodgen of Vinings also showed up early to vote for Trump because she wasn’t sure she would be able to do so on Election Day. The 29-year-old is nine months pregnant and is expecting a baby boy any day.

“I want a strong country for my son to live in,” she said. “I voted for Trump, and I voted for him because I feel like he’s going to make our economy a lot stronger, and I think this is the wisest choice this year.”

While some voters in Cobb County were eager to share who they voted for in the presidential election, some people weren’t as comfortable sharing their choice amid the division.

“I think there’s a lot of passion in your support for both candidates, and it’s almost ironic: as you drive through my neighborhood, you see one supporter on the left side of the street and then you see the other candidate is a supporter with a yard sign on the right side of the street,” said Patrick Brooks of Marietta.

He said he hopes some of the civility will return after the upcoming elections.

“I remember the days when there wasn’t so much mudslinging. Your candidate would come out and promote what he was for,” he said.

Brett Cobb also declined to say who he voted for, but he said the issue on his mind when casting his vote was abortion.

“I just feel like the Supreme Court has overstepped its bounds and it would be good to have someone represent all the people,” he said.

More than 1.3 million people voted in person in the state in the first five days. But with 15 days to go, it’s hard to see how the race in the state will shake up even a pivotal region.

Neil Garrard, a white man from Marietta who voted for Harris, said he thinks the state is starting to “wake up,” but summarized why it could go either way.

“When you’re in the cities, it feels blue,” he said. “Then when you go to the countryside, you see all the other red state signs.”