Georgia polls open at 7 a.m. on Tuesday in the all-important Senate runoff elections, but we won\u2019t start getting results until shortly after voting locations start closing at 7 p.m. With New York Times reporters on the ground across the state, here\u2019s a quick guide for how to follow along.<\/p>\n
First, the races:<\/p>\n
One is a regularly scheduled contest in which Senator David Perdue, a Republican, is running for a second term against Jon Ossoff, a Democrat. Mr. Perdue almost won in November but ended up just shy of a majority, with 49.7 percent of the vote to Mr. Ossoff\u2019s 47.9 percent, triggering a runoff under Georgia law.<\/p>\n
The second race is a special election between Senator Kelly Loeffler, a Republican, and the Rev. Raphael Warnock, a Democrat. In a crowded field in November, Mr. Warnock got 32.9 percent of the vote and Ms. Loeffler, who was appointed to her seat, got 25.9 percent. The winner of the runoff will serve out the remainder of former Senator Johnny Isakson\u2019s term, which ends in 2022.<\/p>\n
If Democrats win both races, they will create a 50-50 split in the Senate, with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris acting as tiebreaker. If Republicans win either race, they will retain control of the Senate and the ability to block much of President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.\u2019s agenda.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ll have a good idea by midmorning Tuesday about what turnout looks like: Democrats are counting on big numbers in major cities and the Atlanta suburbs, and Republicans need a lot of voters in smaller cities, rural areas and strongholds like northern Georgia.<\/p>\n
The Times will be covering the runoffs all day and night. A live blog will be published Tuesday morning, and a link will be added to this article once it is available.<\/p>\n
You can also follow the vote counts on The Times\u2019s results pages, which will include live analysis from reporters. These pages will go live Tuesday afternoon.<\/p>\n
When we\u2019ll know the winners is an open question. With results coming in around 7:30 p.m., we could know who won by late Tuesday night \u2014 but if the races are very tight, it could also take several days. While more than three million Georgians voted early, their ballots can\u2019t be tabulated until the polls close.<\/p>\n
Long lines could also cause delays. (Any Georgian who is in line by 7 p.m. has the right to vote.) In past elections, lines have been a particular problem in and around cities, like Atlanta, that have large Black populations and are heavily Democratic.<\/p>\n
When Georgia\u2019s early voting period for the general election began in October, some voters in Atlanta and its suburbs, such as Fulton and Gwinnett Counties, waited as long as eight hours, and lines were also long in Chatham County, which includes Savannah. In the state\u2019s primary election in June, it was past midnight by the time the last voters \u2014 all of whom had been in line by 7 p.m. \u2014 cast their ballots.<\/p>\n