Georgia Is Testing Whether Voters Still Cross Party Lines

It’s no secret that US politics has gotten more polarized. That means fewer voters split their tickets, voting for both a Democrat and a Republican. Between 2008 and 2022, the percentage of voters who crossed party lines fell from 12% to 5%, according to Daniel Moskowitz at the University of Chicago.

But in Georgia, almost every candidate seems to be trying to win voters from the other party. That’s making the state’s 2026 elections, including a crowded race for the open governor’s seat, not only fun to watch, but a sign of what our politics could look like if politicians had to do more than turn out their bases.