From deadlines to early voting, what Columbus residents need to know for GA’s runoffs
The absentee by mail ballots are going out, the early voting polls are on schedule, and Georgia’s runoff elections are here for the holidays.
On the ballot for the Jan. 5 election day will be two U.S. Senate races and one contest for the state Public Service Commission:
- Incumbent Republican Kelly Loeffler faces Democrat Raphael Warnock in a special election runoff for the Senate seat vacated by Johnny Isakson. Gov. Brian Kemp appointed Loeffler to the post in 2019 when Isakson left because of poor health.
- Incumbent Republican Sen. David Perdue faces a challenge from Democrat Jon Ossoff.
- Incumbent Republican Public Service Commissioner Lauren Bubba McDonald Jr. faces Democratic challenger Daniel Blackman.
In Georgia, races go to runoffs when no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote in the General Election.
Residents who did not vote in the Nov. 3 General Election or did not register to vote in that election can still cast a ballot in the runoff.
The deadline to register for the runoff is Dec. 7. Georgians may register online at the Secretary of State’s “My Voter Page,” www.mvp.sos.ga.gov/MVP, or at any state driver’s license bureau, or at the county elections office on the second floor of the Citizens Service Center, off Macon Road by the Columbus Public Library.
Absentee ballots
The first wave of mail-in absentee ballots were sent out Nov. 18, said Jeanette James, elections specialist with the Muscogee County Board of Elections and Registration. Nancy Boren, the board’s executive director, said around 15,000 are going in the mail.
Voters can request an absentee mail-in ballot multiple ways:
- Online at ballotrequest.sos.ga.gov.
- Call the local elections office at 706-653-4392.
- Fax a request to the office at 706-225-4394.
- Email muscogeeelectionsandregistration@columbusga.gov.
They also may mail an absentee ballot application to Elections, P.O. Box 1340, Columbus, Georgia, 31902. Application forms can be found online under “Voter Information” at the county elections office website, www.columbusga.gov/elections.
While voters typically have until the Friday before Election Day to request an absentee ballot, that will be Jan. 1, a holiday, so the deadline would be Dec. 31.
People who are elderly, disabled or serving in the armed forces may have absentee mail-in ballots sent to them automatically, and they do not have to request runoff ballots if they already asked for that service for the Nov. 3 election.
Election officials urge residents voting absentee by mail to be sure they sign the yellow oath envelope that comes with the ballot. They may be notified to correct the oversight if they fail to do that, but if they don’t correct it, their ballot will be voided.
They also are advised to mail those ballots in promptly, else they may not be delivered in time to be counted.
For those who’d prefer not to use the postal service, Columbus will have ballot drop boxes at the same sites as the General Election. Some are placed so voters can drive right up to them. Those locations are:
- The rear entrance to the Citizens Service Center, off Macon Road at 3111 Citizens Way (walk up).
- The exit to the Citizens Service Center parking garage (drive up).
- The Frank Chester Recreation Center, 1441 Benning Drive (drive up).
- The Columbus Health Department, 5601 Veterans Parkway (walk up).
- The Columbus Convention and Trade Center, 801 Front Ave. (walk up).
Early voting
Early voting, over a span intermittently interrupted by city holidays, will be 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day, including weekends, from Dec. 14 through Dec. 23, and from Dec. 28 through Dec. 30. The hours for the last day of early voting, Dec. 31, will be 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Boren urged those intending to vote early in person or absentee by mail to remember holidays will limit the time available to get their ballots cast. “Don’t wait until the end,” she said.
Here are the early voting sites:
- Citizens Service Center, 3111 Citizens Way.
- Columbus Trade Center, 801 Front Ave.
- Psalmond Road Recreation Center, 6500 Psalmond Road.
- Shirley B Winston Recreation Center, 5035 Steam Mill Road.
All of Columbus’ neighborhood voting precincts will be open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day, Jan. 5.
This story was originally published November 24, 2020 at 6:00 AM.