Georgia Senate Race 2026: Ossoff vs. Collins and the December Runoff Rule

Status as of 4:45 p.m. ET Saturday, Oct. 31. Candidate names, dates and voting rules come from official Georgia state and county election sources. No votes have been counted.

The Georgia Senate race 2026 pits a first-term Democratic senator against a two-term Republican congressman, and it is one of the few Senate contests in which a runoff could follow Election Day. This guide lists the candidates from official ballot records, explains the majority rule and the Dec. 1 runoff date, and sets out how and when Georgia reports and certifies its results.

What happened

Sen. Jon Ossoff, a Democrat, is defending his seat against Rep. Mike Collins, a Republican, The Associated Press reported.

Who is on the ballot

The official Fulton County sample ballot for the Nov. 3 general election, dated Oct. 8, prints two names for U.S. Senate, listed here in alphabetical order:

• Mike Collins, Republican
• Jon Ossoff, Democrat (Incumbent)

No Libertarian appears on the ballot. The Libertarian Party of Georgia ended its petition drive for statewide ballot access in July after falling far short of the required signatures, WABE reported, and Ballotpedia lists the party’s Senate nominee, Allen Buckley, as disqualified from the general election. Ballotpedia also lists three write-in candidates for the seat: Elbert Bartell, Christina Loren Clement and Cassandra Easton. Write-in names are not printed on the ballot, and LiveNewsWorld could not check them against the state’s certified list.

How the nominees got here

Collins represents the 10th Congressional District, along the South Carolina border. He was the top vote-getter in a five-candidate Republican primary on May 19 and then won the nomination in a June 16 runoff against former University of Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley, the AP reported. President Donald Trump endorsed Collins for the runoff, while Gov. Brian Kemp backed Dooley. Ossoff was unopposed in the Democratic primary.

Ossoff had raised about $137 million as of Oct. 14, compared with about $11 million for Collins, according to the AP.

Latest development

Early in-person voting in Georgia ran from Oct. 13 to Oct. 30, according to the Georgia election guide on the state’s official portal. The deadline for a county office to receive an absentee ballot application passed on Oct. 23. Remaining voters can vote at their assigned polling place on Election Day or return an absentee ballot they already hold.

What the polls show

Polls are snapshots, not forecasts, and LiveNewsWorld reports only surveys with published methods. An Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll conducted by the University of Georgia’s School of Public and International Affairs found nearly 48% of likely voters backing Ossoff and 40% backing Collins, with nearly 12% undecided. The poll of 1,000 likely general election voters in Georgia was conducted by telephone from Oct. 7 to 15, 2026, and has a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points, the AJC reported. Other polls may differ. Our 2026 midterm election polls tracker explains how to read surveys like this one.

Why it matters

Ossoff is the only Democratic senator seeking reelection in a state Trump carried in 2024, the AP reported. Republicans hold 53 Senate seats and can lose no more than three and still keep control, with Vice President JD Vance able to cast the deciding vote in a tie, according to the AP. That makes Georgia one of the contests that will shape party control of the Senate. LiveNewsWorld does not publish predictions or win probabilities for this race.

What happens next

How to vote on Election Day

• Hours: Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Voters must use their assigned polling place, and anyone in line by 7 p.m. can still vote, the state’s election guide says.
• ID: Voters must show a valid photo ID, such as a driver’s license, passport or Georgia voter ID card. A voter whose information cannot be verified can cast a provisional ballot and must resolve the issue with the county registrar within three days.
• Absentee ballots: Absentee ballots must be received by 7 p.m. on Election Day. They can be mailed or delivered to the county board of registrars’ office by that time. Drop boxes were available only inside early voting sites during early voting hours.

How results are reported

Georgia law lets county officials begin tabulating mail ballots at 7 a.m. on Election Day, the AP reported. About four of every five counties are expected to release all or almost all of their early in-person and mail results in the first update of the night, before most counties report Election Day votes. Early leads can shift as Election Day ballots are added, the AP noted. In the 2024 general election, the AP reported the first Georgia results at 7:04 p.m. ET, about 90% of the vote was counted by 10:21 p.m. ET, and the last update of the night came at 3:15 a.m. ET with about 99% counted.

The AP declares a winner only when there is no scenario in which a trailing candidate could close the gap. Georgia has no automatic recount, but a losing candidate may request one if the margin is 0.5% of the total vote or less, according to the AP. For the national picture, see our guide to when 2026 midterm results will be known.

Certification and a possible runoff

The Secretary of State’s 2026 election calendar, posted by Decatur County, sets these deadlines:

• Nov. 6: Deadline at 5 p.m. for provisional voters to provide documentation. Eligible military and overseas ballots postmarked by Election Day and received within three business days are counted.
• Nov. 9: Counties must certify their returns by 5 p.m.
• Nov. 13 to 17: Counties conduct a risk-limiting audit of one federal or statewide contest chosen at random by the Secretary of State.
• Nov. 20: Deadline for the Secretary of State to certify federal and statewide results.

If no Senate candidate receives a majority of the vote, 50 percent plus one, the top two finishers advance to a runoff, according to the state’s runoff election page. That runoff would be held on Tuesday, Dec. 1, with polls open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The calendar lists Nov. 2 as the registration deadline for a December federal runoff and Nov. 20 as the last day to request an absentee ballot for it.

LiveNewsWorld will report Georgia returns as counties post them and will name the outlet behind any race call. No winner will be reported before one is declared by a named source.

Related live coverage

Follow every contested seat on our US Senate elections 2026 results page, find every guide in the US Midterm Elections 2026 hub, and get the latest Washington news on US Politics Live.

Sources

• Fulton County, Ga.: Official consolidated sample ballot, Nov. 3, 2026 general and special election (dated Oct. 8, 2026)
• Georgia.gov: Georgia election guide and general election runoff page; Georgia Secretary of State Elections Division, 2026 election calendar and highlights
• The Associated Press: Georgia election-night guide (Oct. 30, 2026)
• The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and UGA School of Public and International Affairs poll, conducted Oct. 7 to 15, 2026 (updated Oct. 21, 2026)
• WABE (July 2026) and Ballotpedia reporting. Sources last updated 4:45 p.m. ET Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026.