Election Day is around the corner. Do you know which ballot you want?

Maybe the most important tip for early voting in Columbus this week is: Check the sample ballots first.

Early in-person voting begins Monday and continues every day until May 18, including weekends. Voting machines will be set up in the community room of Columbus’ Citizens Service Center, 311 Citizens Way, where voters may cast ballots 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends.

They must bring a government-issued photo ID, and they should remember the main entrance of the service center no longer is locked, as it used to be for security. Voters previously could enter only through the rear of the building by the parking garage. Both entrances are accessible now.

Those working on political campaigns should be mindful no campaigning, including the use of yard signs, is allowed within 150 feet of the building’s outer wall.

But the main thing voters should keep in mind is this:

“They have to know which ballot they want,” said Nancy Boren, executive director of the Muscogee County Board of Elections and Registrations.

That’s because Georgia’s holding state party primaries in addition to local nonpartisan elections, and as Georgians don’t register by political party, they have a choice: They can ask for a Republican Primary ballot, a Democratic Primary ballot, or strictly a nonpartisan ballot.

The last option is the most limiting, as the nonpartisan races will be on each party ballot. Choosing a nonpartisan ballot means giving up the chance to vote in either party’s primary, though it also ties the voter to neither party’s runoff, should one ensue.

Those who pick a nonpartisan ballot in the primary can vote in either party’s runoff. Those who choose a party’s primary ballot cannot vote in the other party’s runoff.

Voters unsure of which ballot they’d prefer should browse them ahead of time. They can do that online at the Georgia Secretary of State’s “My Voter Page,” www.mvp.sos.ga.gov, where they can download sample ballots to view after logging in with their name, address and date of birth.

They also can print out sample ballots for friends and family who don’t have online access.

Besides Georgia races for governor and other state executives, the state House and Senate and U.S. Congress, Muscogee County will have elections for mayor, the five odd-numbered Columbus Council seats plus a special election for at-large council Post 10, the four even-numbered school board districts and the school board’s at-large post. Thirty candidates in 11 contested races are running for those local offices.

Voters checking their ballot options should not put too much emphasis on the questions posed by each party. They are not referenda, and have no force of law. The vote on a ballot question amounts to little more than a survey, and not a scientific one.

“Should the sale and distribution of bump stocks be prohibited in the state of Georgia?” is the first question on the Democratic ballot. And even if everyone votes “yes,” bump stocks won’t be banned in Georgia.

“Should casinos be allowed in Muscogee County?” asks the Republican ballot, and no matter the results, casinos won’t be allowed in Columbus unless the law changes, and a party ballot question doesn’t change it.

Yet when some voters find out they didn’t get to answer another party’s ballot question, “they get irritated,” said Boren, who suspects those folks believe a ballot question carries legal weight.

Another vote that won’t matter much now is a vote for Bob Roth in the Muscogee school board District 6 race, from which Roth has withdrawn. The ballots already had been printed by the time he pulled out, so his name still appears with those of incumbent Mark Cantrell and challenger Eddie Obleton. Notices will be posted in polls to tell voters Roth no longer is in the race.

Another thing Boren wants voters to remember is they can’t come to vote early in-person and ask for a paper ballot. Paper ballots are available only to those who ask to vote absentee by mail.

The deadline to request a mail-in ballot is May 18, but to be counted the ballot has to arrive at the elections office by 7 p.m. on Election Day, May 22. So voters would want to request a mail-in ballot days before the deadline to get it mailed to them and mailed back to the elections office on time.

Anyone who’d like a mail-in absentee ballot may request it at the “My Voter Page,” where they can download the absentee application, fill it out, and email it to nboren@columbusga.org, fax it to 706-225-4394, or mail it to Muscogee County Elections and Registrations, P.O. Box 1340, Columbus, Ga., 31902.

Those voting early in-person may find it more convenient than waiting until Election Day, but that is no longer guaranteed, because early voting now is a popular option, and often lines form at the poll.

In 2016, when Columbus offered more weekend voting, people swarmed the service center to cast ballots.

“Weekends have picked up,” Boren said, noting the center was averaging about 900 voters a day on Saturdays and Sundays. “The Saturday and Sunday voting really picked up, and it’s become a popular option.”

What election workers saw two years ago was a shift in which early voting dropped off in the early morning and around the close of business, about 5:30 p.m., Boren said.

All 25 city voting precincts will be open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day, May 22, for the state party primaries and local nonpartisan races. Only one local polling place is changing: Residents who previously voted at Eddy Middle School or the National Infantry Museum off South Lumpkin Road now will vote at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, 1953 Torch Hill Road.

This story was originally published April 28, 2018 at 4:26 PM with the headline "Election Day is around the corner. Do you know which ballot you want?."