Departments

Changes To Georgia Voting Districts
By Georgia State CAP Chair Chip Slaughter

As I write this article, candidates are qualifying to run for public office at the State Capitol and in counties all over Georgia. This biennial function has been complicated this year because Georgia’s State House and Senate district lines were struck down and redrawn by a three-judge panel of the Federal court. Incumbent Legislators and challengers have been very busy in the last few weeks contacting reapportionment offices in Atlanta. The Legislative Reapportionment Services office is a great source of information that can be used to find district maps, if the district is an open seat or has an incumbent, counties within district boundaries, and the demographics of the district. You can go to their website at http://georgiareapportionment.uga.edu/

Because of these changes, the State House and Senate District that you voted in during the 2002 election has probably changed. The State will be printing and mailing new voter registration cards during the month of June that reflect those changes. You should receive your new card well before the July 20th Primary election. If you don’t, please contact the voter registration office in your county. These changes will not effect your U.S. Congressional District.

In order to vote in the July 20th Primary election, you must be registered to vote by June 21st. The deadline to register for the November 2nd General election is October 4th. If you are not registered, or if your address or name has changed, simply fill out a voter registration form and mail it. The forms are available at the Union Hall, libraries, and other public buildings.

If you are registering for the first time by mail, you are required to enclose a copy of one of the 17 acceptable types of identification with your voter registration form. Voters are also required to present proper identification at their polling place prior to casting their ballot. Any one of the following forms of identification are considered proper and acceptable:

(1) a valid Georgia driver’s license;
(2) a valid identification card issued by a branch, department, agency, or entity of the State of Georgia, any other state, or the United States authorized by law to issue personal identification;
(3) a valid United States passport;
(4) a valid employee identification card containing a photograph of the elector and issued by any branch, department, agency, or entity of the United States government, this state, or any county, municipality, board, authority, or other entity of this state;
(5) a valid employee identification card containing a photograph of the elector and issued by any employer of the elector in the ordinary course of such employer’s business;
(6) a valid student identification card containing a photograph of the elector from any public or private college, university, or postgraduate technical or professional school located within the state of Georgia;
(7) a valid Georgia license to carry a pistol or revolver;
(8) a valid pilot’s license issued by the Federal Aviation Administration or other authorized agency of the United States;
(9) a valid United States military identification card;
(10) a certified copy of the elector’s birth certificate;
(11) a valid social security card;
(12) certified naturalization documentation;
(13) or a certified copy of court records showing adoption, name, or sex change;
(14) A copy of a utility bill;
(15) A bank statement (will be kept confidential);
(16) A government check or payment with name and address; or
(17) A government document that shows the name and address of the elector.

For further information, contact the voter registration office in your county or the Secretary of State’s office, election division at 404-656-2871. You can also visit the Secretary of State’s website at http://www.sos.state.ga.us. Please take the time to register and vote. It is our right as Americans and our duty as citizens.