On May 19, Georgia voters will take to the polls in a highly contested primary election with local, state and national seats being on the ballot.
We talked to Georgia Southern professor Joshua Kennedy on the upcoming elections and what makes Georgia elections important on a national level.
“Georgia is becoming (or arguably has become) a swing state; broader national trends are likely to be reflected here than in non-swing states,” Kennedy said. “Georgia’s status as a swing state makes it pivotal for control of Congress and for the Electoral College (which formally elects the president). Georgia’s “swinginess” reflects the intense, competitive nature of modern national politics.”
With the national stakes of this upcoming election, getting registered to vote in Georgia is easy for first-time voters, and you may be registered to vote already.
“In Georgia, there is a form of automatic registration where anybody who interacts with a state agency (e.g., getting a driver’s license, applying for social security benefits, etc.) is put on the voter rolls,” Kennedy said. “You can also formally register yourself, but you must do so in advance to vote (30 days before the election is the cutoff).”
With voter identification laws, you need a valid form of ID to vote in person in Georgia. Acceptable forms of identification include:
- Any valid state or federal government-issued photo ID
- Free ID card issued by your county’s registrar’s office or the Georgia Department of Driver Services
- Georgia driver’s license
- Student ID from a Georgia public college or university
- Valid employee photo ID from any branch, department, agency or entity of the U.S. Government, Georgia or any county, municipality, board, authority or other entity of the state
- Valid U.S. passport ID
- Valid U.S. military photo ID containing a photograph of the voter
- Valid tribal photo ID containing a photograph of the voter
The most watched races in Georgia this year are for governor, national and state representatives, national and state senators, public service commissioners and state court judges.
Local elections are also on the ballot on May 19 in Bulloch County, including two nonpartisan seats for County Commissioner.
Voting is just one way to get involved in local and state politics. For people who are not local to Statesboro and those who are out of state, there are still ways to get involved in the community.
“Paying attention to local informational resources is the single best way,” Kennedy said. Statesboro is a growing city, but it’s still small enough that you can interact with city government directly, too. Keeping informed on city council and Bulloch County Commission business, and perhaps attending some meetings, are great ways to get involved.
You can find a sample ballot and detailed information about candidates and their platforms here.
