Confused about changes to elections? Answers to questions about voting in Columbus
Georgia’s postponing another election during the deadly coronavirus outbreak has given those who run the polls some needed breathing room.
Here in Muscogee County, hosts at two of the city’s 25 voting precincts had backed out of the election previously set for May 19, wary of having possibly infected voters congregate on their property. Two teams of poll workers, who tend to be older people particularly at risk from the virus, also had dropped out, fearing for their health, said Nancy Boren, executive director of the county board of elections and registrations.
Another complication involved absentee mail-in ballot applications the state sent to every active voter, to encourage voting by mail. The applications bore highlighted spaces each voter should be sure to fill out, but didn’t highlight the voter’s date of birth – which helps election workers distinguish between people with identical or similarly common names – and residents were mailing the applications back without that.
Now Boren and her staff have some extra time to deal with such issues, and voters have more time to think about their choices.
That may raise questions about where things stand, with a new voting schedule and a state push to encourage voting by mail, and what happens next.
Here are some answers.
What has changed since the coronavirus pandemic began?
After announcing March 14 that the March 24 presidential preference primary would be delayed to coincide with state party primaries and local elections on May 19, state leaders decided to postpone both elections until June 9. That means those who did not vote in March will get ballots that combine races from both the March presidential preference primary and Muscogee school sales tax referendum and the May state primaries and local elections.
Meanwhile the state continues to push voters to cast ballots by mail, to avoid the risks of their congregating at voting precincts where the novel coronavirus could spread anew. Typically only about 5% of local voters cast ballots by mail, Boren said.
What are the new election and registration dates?
The delays have reset the schedule, allowing unregistered Georgians to register to vote in the combined election long after previous deadlines. Here are the new dates:
- May 11, the new deadline to register.
- May 18, the first day of early in-person voting.
- June 5, the last day of early voting.
- June 9, election day.
- Aug. 11, the runoff election (if necessary).
Much of what individual voters need to know can be found online at the Georgia Secretary of State’s “My Voter Page,” www.mvp.sos.ga.gov/MVP, where they can check their registration status and download voter registration forms and absentee voting applications. They also can register at Registertovote.sos.ga.gov.
If I voted early in March, what happened to my ballot?
About 6,500 Columbus residents voted early in the March presidential preference primary before the election was postponed. Those ballots, each backed up by hard copy under the state’s new voting machine system, have been securely stored and will be counted June 9.
If those residents vote in the next election, they will get ballots only from the May 19 state primaries and local elections, while people who did not vote early will get ballots that combine the March and May elections.
If I got an absentee ballot application in the mail, what should I know?
Some residents erroneously thought getting an application meant they’d automatically be sent an absentee ballot. Unless they’re among a narrow set of voters who’ve already qualified and arranged to have ballots automatically mailed to them for this election cycle, they must apply to get a mail-in ballot, and their application must be complete and accurate.
What should I fill out on the absentee application?
The Secretary of State has mailed about 127,000 vote-by-mail applications to Muscogee County’s active voters, those who regularly participate in elections. Anyone here who still wants one can call the local elections office at 706-653-4392 or download one from the “Voter Information” link on the office’s website, www.columbusga.gov/elections, or from the state “My Voter” page.
The applications the state sent out highlighted two blank spaces asking for the voter’s ballot choice and for the voter’s signature. The elections office started getting applications missing other crucial information, and now urges applicants also to:
- Fill in their date of birth.
- Add their phone number and/or email address, in case the office needs to reach them.
- Fill out a section at the bottom if they qualify and want absentee ballots automatically sent to them for the rest of this election cycle.
Though the signature on an application or absentee ballot does not precisely have to match the name by which the voter is registered – or the name on the voter’s proof of identification, such as a driver’s license or other government issued ID – signing the same name precludes any mismatch that might prompt a challenge.
Why do I have to pick a political party to vote in the primaries? Will I be registered for that party?
Each voter must pick a Republican, Democratic or nonpartisan ballot. Georgia does not register voters by party, so picking a partisan ballot does not bind the voter to that party for future elections.
But for those who pick party ballots, postponing and combining two party primaries has led to some odd twists:
- Those who voted in the March presidential preference primary are not bound to the party they chose then. They can choose any ballot they want, for the next election.
- Those who did not vote in March can’t expect to get a June 9 combination ballot with one party’s March presidential primary and the other party’s May state primary.
Partisans who didn’t vote in March will get party ballots combining the presidential preference primary, the state party primaries, the local elections — including nonpartisan races and a school sales tax referendum — and nonbinding party ballot questions.
They can’t mix parties, so no one gets a ballot that combines the Democratic Party’s presidential primary and the Republican Party’s state primary, or vice-versa.
All ballots combining the March and May elections will have the school sales tax referendum and local nonpartisan races such as those for Columbus Council and the Muscogee County School Board. Nonpartisan ballots will have only those races.
What should I consider when picking a ballot?
During 13 days of early voting from March 2 through March 14, 5,584 Columbus residents voted early in-person at the City Services Center off Macon Road, Boren said. More than 4,000 of them chose Democratic Party ballots.
That was back when the party still had a competitive presidential primary, before Joe Biden became the presumptive nominee. Donald Trump was the lone candidate on the Republican ballot. The only other vote was a yes-or-no on the Muscogee County School District sales tax referendum. That was all the nonpartisan ballots had.
Now voters coming in fresh have to weigh these factors, in choosing a ballot:
- Biden and Bernie Sanders no longer are fighting for the Democratic Party nomination.
- Two local races, for Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit district attorney and Muscogee County Sheriff, have competitors only on the Democratic Party ballot.
- Vying for the Democratic nomination for sheriff are incumbent Donna Tompkins and challengers Greg Countryman and Pam Brown. The winner in November will face Republican Mark LaJoye, who has no primary opposition.
- No Republican qualified for district attorney, so the race between incumbent Julia Slater and challenger Mark Jones will be decided in the June 9 primary, by voters in the entire six-county judicial circuit that includes Chattahoochee, Harris, Marion, Talbot and Taylor.
- No Republican qualified to run against incumbent District 15 Democratic state Sen. Ed Harbison of Columbus, so the primary will decide the race between Harbison and challenger Teddy Reese.
- The Democratic Party ballot also has the U.S. Senate race involving former Columbus Mayor Teresa Tomlinson. The winner will face incumbent Republican David Perdue in November.
Though sample ballots for each voter usually are available on Georgia’s “My Voter Page,” they were not posted yet on Tuesday. The Secretary of State’s office said its staff still is compiling those.
So far the Nov. 3 general election remains on schedule, despite worries the COVID-19 outbreak will rebound in the fall. The deadline to register is Oct. 5, and early in-person voting will start Oct. 12.
Because this presidential election likely will be contentious, in a year marked by fear and controversy, turnout may be heavy, as in previous contests:
- In 2016, it was 53%, as 69,463 of 131,025 active Muscogee voters cast ballots.
- In 2012, it was 59%, with 70,962 of 120,879 voting.
- In 2008, it was 63%, as 74,428 out of 118,302 voted.
So a second wave of coronavirus infections in the fall could cause more complications, as state and local leaders decide how to manage the risks of holding elections during a pandemic.
This story was originally published April 15, 2020 at 8:12 AM.