One political expert says "a fracture in the solid South" is playing out in Georgia.
As many rural counties stay red, the vote counts continued past Election Day in cities like Atlanta or Savannah may turn Georgia blue.
Dr. Mandi Bailey at Valdosta State has studied American political behaviors for more than 13 years. She says while Georgia has been reliably Republican in the past, shifting demographics may cause what she calls a blue shift in the election.
“Georgia is kind of a weird ball of wax,” Bailey said.
Bailey says the Democratic Party has stepped up its game in a state where the electorate has become increasingly diverse.
She says this isn’t the first time Georgians have waited for a close election to be called.
It was the case when Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp beat Stacy Abrams two years ago, although Bailey says the slow wait for every vote to count a good sign.
“Democracy is something that you got to work for, right? So if you're going to get it right, put the work in and get the job done correctly,” Bailey said.
She says it’s the nature of the beast as many votes are hand-counted.
With votes taking longer to count in cities like Atlanta, Bailey says rural Georgia may be losing its grip.
Key Senate races may not be decided until January because Georgia requires runoff elections when no candidate wins over 50% of the vote.
Regardless of the outcome of the presidential race in Georgia, Bailey says this could be a change.
“It points to a bit of fracturing in the solid south, right? It points to diversifying electorate here in Georgia,” Bailey adds.
Regardless of party, Bailey says it’s important to make sure every vote is counted.
“There's so many votes that are unaccounted for right now. And not just in Georgia, but all across the country. I think that we all sort of need to collectively take a deep breath and understand that these things take time,” Bailey said.