Harris invokes Jimmy Carter in bid to get supporters to vote early

Vice President Kamala Harris implored supporters in Georgia on Saturday to vote early in the election, noting that former President Jimmy Carter has already cast his ballot.

"If Jimmy Carter can vote early, you can too," Harris said during a rally in Atlanta Saturday.

Carter, who recently turned 100 years old and has been in hospice care for over a year, voted by mail during the second day of early voting in his home state of Georgia on Wednesday.

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Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign event at Lakewood Amphitheatre, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024,, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Carter’s grandson, Jason Carter, explained in an interview with CNN that the former president required assistance to be able to cast his ballot.

"He’s in hospice care and in Georgia… if you need assistance to vote, you can get that from a family member… so he sat down and told everybody what he wanted to do and was excited about it," the former president’s grandson said, adding that the ballot was then dropped off for Carter at a local dropbox by a family member.

Carter casting his ballot for Harris reportedly was one of the final goals for the former president, according to a Fox 59 report, with Carter telling his son Chip in August that he was "only trying to make it to vote for Kamala Harris."

"President Carter, thank you for your support," Harris wrote on social media Wednesday after learning of Carter’s vote.

Jason Carter attends "Jimmy Carter 100: A Celebration in Song" at The Fox Theatre on Sept. 17, 2024, in Atlanta. (Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

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Harris is currently locked in a tight battle with former President Trump in Carter’s home state of Georgia, one of seven swing states that will play an outsized role in determining who wins the presidential election.

Trump currently holds a narrow lead of just 1.8 points in the state, according to the Real Clear Politics polling average, while also holding a similarly small lead in the other six swing states. 

Former President Jimmy Carter departs a funeral service for former first lady Rosalynn Carter, at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia, on Nov. 29, 2023. (Alex Brandon/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

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Trump won Georgia by just over five percentage points in 2016, but dropped the state to President Biden in 2020 by under one percentage point.

The Harris campaign did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.