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Garden City Gossip · Special coverage
Augusta first. Georgia in context. The national stakes, with the source attached.
Follow the 2026 midterms from the local ballot to Congress, with reporting on what the returns mean for the people and institutions that govern Augusta.
Follow national race calls, state results and local returns below. Each report identifies its sources and cutoff; unofficial returns are not certified results.
The latest
AP race calls · National morning update
AP reports Democrats have won both chambers of Congress, with seven Republican-held Senate seats flipping. GCG’s national report has been updated through 7:56 a.m. EST on Nov. 4. Race calls are separate from official certification.
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State roundup · Elections / Georgia
Democrats swept Georgia’s constitutional offices, the AJC reports, adding downballot victories to AP’s calls for Bottoms and Ossoff. The Georgia roundup includes all statewide contests, all14 congressional districts and three amendments. Votes remain unofficial; checked12:01a Eastern Nov.4.
Read the full Georgia results report.
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State roundup · Elections / South Carolina
Democrats break through in the Senate race while Republicans lead the state's executive contests. Two congressional races remain close in the reported count. Official vote snapshot: 11 p.m. EST, Nov. 3; race-call checks through 11:45 p.m. EST.
Read the full South Carolina results report.
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Unofficial county returns
Williams leads Lowery by 61 votes in unofficial returns. Brown leads both separate District 3 contests; Hannah and Cain hold larger advantages.
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Unofficial county returns
Rockwood leads Reeves by 344 votes in unofficial returns. Couch and Griffin also lead, and the homeowner tax measure draws roughly 87% support.
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Media race calls · National results
AP reports James Talarico won the Texas Senate race, joining Democratic pickups by Annie Andrews in South Carolina and Roy Cooper in North Carolina. AP’s latest reporting also describes more than a half-dozen Republican-held House seats flipping Democratic. Control of Congress remains unsettled in the coverage checked through 11:33 p.m. EST. Read GCG’s national election report.
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AP race calls · Georgia governor and U.S. Senate
The Associated Press has called Georgia’s governor race for Keisha Lance Bottoms over Rick Jackson at 9:24 p.m. EST, following its 7:55 p.m. call for Sen. Jon Ossoff over Mike Collins. The governor’s office flips Democratic; the Senate seat stays Democratic. Counting continues, and election officials have yet to certify the results. Read our combined Georgia and national election report.
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AP race call · Georgia U.S. Senate
The Associated Press has called Georgia’s U.S. Senate race for incumbent Democrat Jon Ossoff over Republican Mike Collins. The seat remains Democratic. This is an AP race call; vote totals remain unofficial until election officials certify them.
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Government · News analysis
The Senate and governor’s races command attention. Richmond County’s ballot also chooses school-board leadership, utility regulators and constitutional rules with consequences close to home.
Charles Rollins, Publisher · November 3, 2026
Local News · News / voter guide
A Richmond County ballot guide and practical voting information, with links to official sources. Columbia County voters should check their own county’s ballot.
Charles Rollins · November 2, 2026
Opinion / Election Day editorial
A Republican senator warned her own party against governing through fear, accusation and intimidation. On Election Day, her Declaration of Conscience offers a standard worth voting on.
Charles Rollins · November 3, 2026
Information checked · Voting information
Georgia’s polls are scheduled to close at 7 p.m. Voters in line before closing may still vote. Election Day voting is at your assigned polling location, which can differ from an advance-voting site. Check the Georgia My Voter Page before traveling. Source: State of Georgia Election Ready 2026.
Updates on this page are published by the newsroom. It is not an automatically refreshing results feed. Refresh to check for a newer edition.
Close to home
The county’s composite ballot lists school-board districts 2, 3, 6, 7 and 9, including a separate District 3 special election for an unexpired term. Your address determines which district contests appear on your ballot.
Official Richmond sample ballot · County election notices · Your ballot
The countywide sample ballot includes the commission chair contest, commission districts 1 and 4, and a homeowner incentive adjustment question. A composite ballot contains races that will not appear on every voter’s ballot.
Official ballot and election information · Polling-place information
Aiken County and South Carolina report through a separate election system. Aiken’s election office says posting follows collection and processing after 7 p.m. Check whether the source labels its figures unofficial or official.
The Richmond and Columbia sample ballots are countywide composites. Use your personalized ballot to see the contests for your address. We will separate county returns from districtwide totals when a legislative district crosses county lines.
The state ballot
The official Columbia County composite ballot confirms these contests. Candidate names below identify the ballot, not an endorsement or a result.
Mike Collins, Republican, and Jon Ossoff, Democrat.
Watch the statewide total. A county’s result is one part of this race.
Rick Jackson, Republican, and Keisha Lance Bottoms, Democrat.
Statewide leadership, with consequences for the next administration in Atlanta.
Rick W. Allen, Republican, and Ceretta Smith, Democrat.
Districtwide returns matter. Richmond or Columbia County alone does not decide the district.
We will also follow statewide offices, the General Assembly, Public Service Commission contests and ballot questions as verified reporting develops. See the state’s guide to the offices and issues on the 2026 ballot.
Beyond Georgia
Every U.S. House seat and a portion of the Senate are on the midterm ballot. The outcome determines which party holds a majority in each chamber. Our national coverage will connect that picture to Georgia’s delegation and Augusta’s interests. Source: USAGov’s congressional elections guide.
National results arrive on different state schedules. We will identify the source and time of any race call we report. A news organization’s call, a candidate’s concession and an election office’s certification are different events.
The U.S. Election Assistance Commission cautions that even a display showing every precinct reporting is not a certified final result. Read the EAC’s explanation of reporting, canvassing and certification.
Each substantive update will carry its publication time and a source link. We will say when information is incomplete and identify material corrections. All times on this page are Eastern Standard Time unless marked otherwise.
An official website can publish unofficial returns. Follow the status shown by the election authority, not just the website’s name.
