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By Monica Sager
Live News Reporter
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Former President Jimmy Carter has officially cast his vote in the 2024 presidential election.
The Carter Center told Newsweek that the 100-year-old voted by mail on Wednesday.
"The Carter Center can confirm that former U.S. President Jimmy Carter voted by mail today, Oct. 16, 2024," the center wrote in an email. "We do not have any further details to share at this time."
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Carter had previously expressed his wish to live long enough to cast a vote for Vice President Kamala Harris. Early voting in Georgia started on Tuesday.
Georgia is one of the seven battleground states that will carry some of the weight this election between Harris and former President Donald Trump. The state has solidified its status as a critical swing state, particularly following the 2020 election when it narrowly flipped from Trump to Joe Biden. After voting Republican in six consecutive presidential elections, Georgia went to the Democrats for the first time since Bill Clinton won in 1992.
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The state's political landscape is heavily influenced by its significant Black population, which makes up a third of its voter base—one of the highest proportions in the nation. This demographic was crucial to Biden's victory, and Harris' campaign is hoping for strong support among Black voters to secure Georgia once again in 2024.
Adding to the complexity of Georgia's political environment are Trump's ongoing legal battles. Trump and 18 others have been indicted for alleged election interference in Georgia, accused of attempting to overturn the 2020 results there. While Trump denies any wrongdoing, the case adds a layer of uncertainty to the 2024 race.
As of Wednesday, FiveThirtyEight shows Trump ahead in Georgia by one-point, with 48.3 percent of the vote.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Carter's daughter-in-law, Becky Payne, dropped off the former president's ballot on Wednesday. Carter's son said the former president has "never voted for a Republican in his life."
Carter, the 39th president, turned 100 on October 1. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, a Republican, declared October 1 "Jimmy Carter Day" in the state, in recognition of the former president's humanitarian legacy.
"I asked him two months ago if he was trying to live to be 100, and he said, 'No, I'm trying to live to vote for Kamala Harris,'" Jimmy Carter's son, Chip Carter, told The Associated Press for an article on the former president's centennial birthday.
Carter entered hospice care in February 2023.
Jason Carter also told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in August that his grandfather has been "more alert and interested in politics and the war in Gaza" recently.
Jason Carter took the stage at the Democratic National Convention in August, representing his grandfather.
"Kamala Harris carries my grandfather's legacy. She knows what is right and she fights for it," Jason Carter said at the convention. "She understands that leadership is about service, not selfishness."
Update 10/16/24 1:04 p.m. ET: This story has been updated to include more information.
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