Midterm voter turnout percentage dips in Richmond, Columbia counties

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Voter turnout as a percentage of active registered voters was lower in Richmond and Columbia counties than in the 2022 midterm election, according to local election officials.In Richmond County, more people voted than in 2022, but the number of active registered voters also increased, said Travis Doss, executive director of the Richmond County Board of Elections.Richmond County turnoutRichmond County had 134,116 active registered voters, approximately 10,000 more than in 2022, Doss said. 49.98% cast a ballot, compared with a little over 51% in the previous midterm.“I would have liked to see more people turn out, especially when you look at Richmond County with 134,000 people registered to vote, and only 67,000, 68,000 people actually voted; there are a lot of people out there that still did not vote,” Doss said.Doss said more than 38,000 people voted early in person, compared with about 31,000 in 2022. He said absentee ballot requests went from around 5,000 i