How do I vote in Columbus? What to know about mail-in ballots, early voting during COVID-19
Where is the white envelope?
That’s one of the questions Columbus voters are asking as they cast ballots absentee by mail during this election-year coronavirus crisis.
So far two elections the epidemic postponed from March 24 and May 19 remain set for June 9, with early, in-person voting to begin Monday at Columbus’ City Services Center off Macon Road.
Thousands of Muscogee County residents won’t be voting in person, because they’ve decided to mail their ballots in.
As of Thursday the elections office had distributed about 18,000 mail-in absentee ballots, and sending more out at a rate of around 1,000 a day, said Nancy Boren, executive director of the Muscogee County Board of Elections and Registrations. The county has 124,068 active, registered voters, she said.
Boren said this marks the most mail-in ballots her office has sent out since the November 2008 presidential election, when 8,000 went out.
Having been printed before the state party primaries and local nonpartisan elections were postponed, those ballots still say May 19 is Election Day, which critics complain is confusing voters.
Also befuddling to some is that residents are instructed to place their ballots in the “white envelope.” Here’s an email a voter sent to the Ledger-Enquirer:
“Instructions say put ballot in white envelope and white envelope in large yellow envelope. There is no white envelope. Large envelope says add postage, but does not say how much. It will take probably three stamps due to weight and envelope size.”
There’s no white envelope because what the instructions call the “white envelope” is actually the “privacy shield,” and it’s just a white piece of paper that’s supposed to ensure no one can read the ballot through the yellow envelope.
“Official absentee ballot. Ballot must be enclosed,” the folded piece of paper says.
If voters lose their official “privacy shield,” they may substitute another folded piece of white paper for it, election workers say.
Here are other answers about early voting and mail-in ballots.
How do I send in my ballot?
That voters must pay for the postage is another issue, with some equating that to an unconstitutional poll tax.
Boren said the postage costs 55 cents, and her staff has asked the postal service to collect and pass on any ballots lacking sufficient postage.
The elections office also is putting out drop boxes in which voters can deposit their ballots without paying postage. The first one was just installed at the City Services Center, and more will follow in other locations, Boren said.
The boxes, bolted to the concrete, will remain open for ballot delivery until 7 p.m. on Election Day. They are emptied daily and under video surveillance for security, she said.
Why is the Council District 4 race listed twice on my ballot?
Another matter likely to raise questions is the race for Columbus Council District 4, which will appear on the ballot twice, for voters in the district long represented by Councilor Evelyn Turner Pugh, who retired last year because of poor health.
Valerie Thompson was appointed to replace Pugh until a special election could be held to finish out the term. Because the city charter requires that special election, it will be on the same ballot as the regularly scheduled election to fill the seat.
What those voters will see is one race between Thompson, Elaine Gillispie and Toyia Tucker. That’s the special election to finish out Pugh’s term through December. Then they’ll see another race between Gillispie and Tucker. The winner of that will take office in January, filling the seat for the next four years.
Why do I have to pick a political party for my ballot?
Because the June 9 election includes party primaries, each voter must choose a Democratic, Republican or nonpartisan ballot. More than half the ballots the local elections office has mailed out were for the Democratic Party primaries, Boren said.
Voters can check their registration status, find their voting precinct and see sample ballots on the Georgia Secretary of State’s “My Voter Page,” www.mvp.sos.ga.gov/MVP.
When and where can I vote in person?
Come Monday, the Community Room of the City Services Center at 3111 Citizens Way will open for early, in person voting at 7 a.m. The schedule from then on will be:
- 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, until June 5, except Memorial Day.
- 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 23.
- 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, May 30 and 31.
The building will be closed for the Memorial Day holiday on Sunday and Monday, May 24 and 25.
Anyone planning to vote in person this Monday should note that the City Services Center will be reopening for the first time since April 6, when it was closed to the public because of the COVID-19 emergency, so the building could get a crush of people coming to renew car tags or conduct other city business.
That’s why it’s opening a north side entrance for voters, so they won’t have to mingle with others in the lobby. Signs will direct voters there from the east parking garage or the west parking lot at the front of the building.
Despite initial worries about health risks related to the coronavirus, all of the city’s 25 voting precincts are to be open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day, when so many residents will have voted absentee by mail that turnout could be light.
A light turnout would help poll workers keep voters in line at least six feet apart, the recommended space for social distancing during the virus outbreak. Boren said floor markings will direct people where to wait, and poll workers will be wearing masks and disinfecting the voting equipment after each use.
Voters should bring a government-issued photo ID, as always. Though the city has asked that those visiting its buildings wear masks, masks are not required, and no one will be turned away because of that.
Residents who have other questions, or who would like to request an absentee ballot, may call the elections office at 706-653-4392. It has more information online at www.columbusga.gov/elections.