Are you ready to vote? Polls for early in-person voting open Monday in Georgia
Voting in those Nov. 6 midterm elections we’ve been hearing so much about lately begins Monday in Georgia.
Columbus’ early voting poll opens at 7 a.m. in the Community Room of the City Services Center at 3111 Citizens Way, off Macon Road by the Columbus Public Library.
From then on, the schedule’s 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday through Nov. 2.
In Harris County, the early voting poll at 104 N. College St. in Hamilton is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 27. The phone number for the elections office there is 706-628-5210.
Georgia’s voter ID law requires anyone casting a ballot to show a government-issued photo ID card. That includes a driver’s license, passport, student identification card or a military or other government employee ID.
The ballot includes races for governor, Congressman, Superior Court clerk, five state constitutional amendments, two statewide referenda and a local proposal to start serving alcohol at 11 a.m. on Sundays instead of 12:30 p.m.
Voters can see sample ballots online at the Georgia Secretary of State’s “My Voter Page,” www.mvp.sos.ga.gov. Sample ballots also will be available at the voting poll.
Muscogee County Board of Elections and Registrations Executive Director Nancy Boren urges residents planning to vote on constitutional amendments and state referenda to see a sample ballot in advance, because reading through those proposals takes time.
A list of everything Muscogee County voters could see includes 14 races plus the constitutional amendments, state referenda and the local liquor referendum.
Some of the races are confined to districts that include only parts of Columbus, such as the 3rd Congressional District, the 2nd Congressional District, and Georgia Senate District 29.
Another benefit to seeing a sample ballot before you vote is knowing which races you’ll see and which ones you will not.
Because this is a General Election and not a party primary, voters will not have to choose a Democratic or Republican ballot.
Mail-in absentee ballots are being sent out now, Boren said. Voters who still want a mail-in ballot should call the local elections office soon to request it. The telephone number is 706-653-4392. The website is www.columbusga.org/elections.
The deadline to request a mail-in ballot is Nov. 2, but the ballot has to arrive back at the elections office by 7 p.m. Nov. 6. So, waiting until the last day to ask for one risks missing the deadline for it to count.
This story was originally published October 15, 2018 at 10:09 AM.