Early voting is underway for the May 19 midterm primary, which covers statewide races from the governor to agricultural commissioner, along with legislative races and county commissioners.
If you’ve taken a look at your sample ballot, you might be a little overwhelmed by all the candidates. And if you’ve been too busy, or are a master procrastinator — I don’t blame you.
This ballot guide will tell you what each office does and who is running statewide, plus in key metro races. The winners of the Republican and Democratic primaries will face off in the General Election on Nov. 3.
Let’s walk through it from top to bottom.
Step 1: Are you registered to vote?
Click on this link to the Secretary of State’s My Voter Page. Is your voter registration active?
If yes, read on. If not, your primary voting adventure ends here. However, many statewide primaries, such as the governor’s race, will head to a runoff on June 19. You still have until May 18 to register to vote for that.
Step 2: Make a voting plan
Do you want to vote early? You’ve got until May 15. Check the Secretary of State’s My Voter Page to find your county’s advance voting locations. You can vote at any of them — but for election day on May 19, you must vote at your assigned polling place.
To vote, you must bring a state-issued or federal photo identification to your poll. Remember, you can’t use your phone in the polling place, but you’re allowed to bring a cheat sheet, such as a print-out of your sample ballot. That is also available at the My Voter Page or scroll down to use the Build Your Ballot tool.
Step 3: Select a Democratic, Republican or nonpartisan primary ballot
Do you want to vote in the Republican or Democratic primary? Both of those include judicial races, which will be decided May 19. Many partisan primaries in metro Atlanta are hotly contested, particularly for Democrats, ranging from congressional elections to the state legislature to county commissioners.
Or do you prefer to skip the party primaries and choose a nonpartisan ballot? If you do, you’ll be voting for judges — from county-level all the way up to the Georgia Supreme Court. Some counties also have nonpartisan school board races which will also appear on the ballot.
You can view your sample ballot for all three options at the My Voter Page
To find out about each office and the candidates:
- Click here to check the statewide Democratic ballot.
- Click here to check the statewide Republican ballot.
If you want a nonpartisan ballot, click here to find out about judicial candidates. If your county has a nonpartisan school board, as in DeKalb and Gwinnett Counties, those races will also appear on your ballot. Nonpartisan school board races, like judicial races, are not primaries and will be decided on May 19.
Use the tool below to view your exact ballot and choose your candidates. Pro tip: Email yourself a copy so you can print your picks to have handy when you head to the polls.
