For years the hot-button issue has divided Democrat and Republican lawmakers despite having the support of 80% of the electorate.

Studies repeatedly show that voter identification increases turnout across the political spectrum. While African Americans largely rejected the idea that voter ID impacts them, the true measure of impact remains Election Day.

So how did Georgia do?

Georgia is among the 35 states that require some form of ID to vote and, like other states, offers free ID cards to those who do not have any other form of acceptable identification.

Georgia also saw record turnout this election cycle including a record number of over one million African Americans casting their ballot during early voting.

Total Georgia voter turnout reached 72.6% with nearly 5.3 million votes cast. Counties across the southern half of the state tended to slightly underperform the rest of the state with less than a 70% turnout.

Turnout by County:

• Muscogee County: 65.1%

• Bibb County: 66.6%

• Houston and Peach Counties: 69.6%

• Lowndes County: 67.2%

• Chatham County: 67.7%

Statewide turnout was a record high.

So what caused half of the state to trend lower than the rest?

Analysts cite the stress of poverty as a key factor. “When a mom is in a hotel room and there’s six or seven people in two beds and her kids are hungry and she just lost the car, she doesn’t want to hear too much about elections,” Sabrina Friday told PBS. “She wants to hear how you can help.”

Friday serves as Executive Director of Mother’s Nest, a service that helps house and care for mothers in need in Macon.

Bibb County turnout declined slightly from 2020 to 2024 with 70,802 votes cast in 2020 and 69,792 votes cast in 2024. There are 108,456 active voters in the county.

Disillusionment with voting options proved an impact on turnout, not ID requirements.