It's election week in Georgia. And in the final days before Tuesday's vote, political hopefuls are out in force to make sure they are remembered kindly at the polls, and that their strongest supporters remember to show up.

"This is pull-out-the-stops time," said Calvin Smyre, a state representative who is the chairman of the Georgia Democratic Party. "Turnout is always a factor. We're not going to leave any stones unturned."

More than 2 million voters are expected to decide state races up and down the ballot, from picking their governor and U.S. senator to selecting insurance and agriculture commissioners.

Georgia Democrats will seek to solidify their control at the state level and turn around a Republican edge in the congressional delegation when voters go to the polls.

Meanwhile, Republicans hope to move into the governor's mansion for the first time since Reconstruction and take a seat in the U.S. Senate that could help tip the balance of that body back to the GOP.

"We feel great," said Ralph Reed, the chairman of the Georgia Republican Party. "We're right where we had hoped to be."

Both major parties spent the weekend rallying support. On Saturday, state Republicans were visited for the fourth time by President Bush, who made brief stops in Marietta and Savannah to stump for U.S. Senate candidate Saxby Chambliss, gubernatorial hopeful Sonny Perdue and a handful of congressional candidates.

That same day, Democrats rallied in Atlanta, a few hitting the pavement for a round of old-fashioned, door-to-door politicking.

Gov. Roy Barnes, Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor, U.S. Sen. Max Cleland and others planned a Monday fly-around, taking to the skies with stops in Savannah, Macon, Columbus and other cities.

Voters will be making their voices heard differently, and theoretically more efficiently, when the time comes to cast their ballot.

Spurred by the 2000 election disaster in Florida, officials in Georgia rushed into place a new, $50 million computerized voting system.

Secretary of State Cathy Cox says the touch-screen machines will help make sure every vote is counted, but her opponent, Charlie Bailey, called the machines a waste of taxpayer money.

Ms. Cox, who oversees elections, has predicted that 54 percent of Georgia's registered voters will turn out to cast ballots Tuesday.

That would be an all-time high for an "off-year" election - one in which a presidential election is not held. The current high mark came in 1990, when 52.3 percent of registered voters cast a ballot to elect Zell Miller as governor.

Local elections officials have reported larger than usual numbers of people registering to vote at the last minute.

In September, 58,000 Georgians were added to the voter rolls.

"There are critically important races for federal, statewide, state and local office on the ballot," Ms. Cox said.

As the hours tick away on campaigns that have gone on for months, the final flurry of political back-and-forth has intensified, even in otherwise tame races.

In the largely quiet lieutenant governor's race, challenger Steve Stancil's campaign launched a Web site featuring a comical cartoon of Mr. Taylor along with a questionnaire suggesting the incumbent has lied to voters on issues from tax relief to programs for senior citizens.

Mr. Taylor's campaign fired back with a mocking e-mail to reporters called the "Steve Stancil Campaign Rap Sheet."

It listed items ranging from an alleged hit-and-run by a Stancil campaign vehicle to a fine Mr. Stancil paid to the State Ethics Commission for violating an elections spending law.

"Steve, I think we got busted," reads a cartoon bubble over a photo of a Stancil staffer. "Let's launch a Web site, and maybe nobody will notice," Mr. Stancil appears to reply.

"All in good fun," quipped Taylor spokeswoman Kristi Huller.

Reach Doug Gross at (404) 589-8424 or mnews@mindspring.com.

--From the Sunday, November 3, 2002 printed edition of the Augusta Chronicle