Voters will have three weeks to cast early ballots in the election, with extended hours during the final week.
In addition to the Carrollton site at the elections office on College Street for the entire three-week period, advance voting will also be held during the final week at the Powell Park Arts Center in Villa Rica.
“We added the Villa Rica advance voting site to help voters in the northern part of the county,” said county Elections Supervisor Becky Deese.
Advance voting begins Monday, Oct. 15. During the first two weeks, voting will be held only at the Carroll County Elections Office in Carrollton, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each weekday. The Saturday voting day will be Oct. 27 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Carrollton office only.
During the final week of advance voting, Oct. 29 through Nov. 2, advance voting will be held at both the Carrollton and the Villa Rica sites, from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The Powell Park Arts Center is at 424 Leslie Drive in Villa Rica.
Deese said the state now uses the term “advance voting” for all early voting instead of the previously used “early voting” designation.
During the 2008 general election, Georgia voters had 45 days of early voting. The Georgia General Assembly cut the number of required early voting days to 21, with the stipulation that one Saturday early voting day be made available.
“In 2008, almost 40 percent of Carroll County registered voters cast early ballots,” Deese said. “Another 35 percent voted at their precincts on election day.”
The final day to register to vote in the Nov. 6 general election is Oct. 9. Deese said the deadline date would have been Oct. 8, but that is Columbus Day, a holiday for many government workers, so the deadline date was extended to Oct. 9.
Contested races on the Nov. 6 ballot include:
• President: Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan, Republicans; Barack Obama and Joe Biden, incumbent Democrats; and Gary Johnson and James P. Gray, Libertarians;
• Public Service Commissioner: Chuck Eaton, incumbent Republican; Stephen Oppenheimer, Democrat; and Brad Ploeger, Libertarian;
• Public Service Commissioner: Stan Wise, incumbent Republican; David Staples, Libertarian;
• Special Republican Primary for 30th District State Senate: Mike Dugan, Bill Hembree, Jim Naughton and Glenn Richardson;
• 18th District State Representative: Kevin Cooke, incumbent Republican, and Pat Rhudy, Democrat;
• 69th District State Representative: Randy Nix, incumbent Republican, and Herbert Giles, Democrat;
• County Coroner: Sammy Eady, incumbent Republican, and Ladonna Newell Fryar, Democrat.
Candidates running unopposed on the Nov. 6 ballot include: 3rd District U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, incumbent Republican; District Attorney Peter John “Pete” Skandalakis, incumbent Republican; Clerk of Superior Court Alan J. Lee, incumbent Republican; Sheriff Terry E. Langley, incumbent Republican; Tax Commissioner Vickie Bearden, incumbent Republican; for Surveyor, Michael Crawford, Republican; for County Commissioner, Marty Smith, Republican; and District 1 County Commissioner Trent North, incumbent Democrat.
Two proposed state constitutional amendments are also on the ballot for a “yes” or “no” vote:
• “Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended to allow state or local approval of public charter schools upon the request of local communities?”
• “Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended so as to provide for a reduction in the state’s operating costs by allowing the General Assembly to authorize certain state agencies to enter into multiyear rental agreements?”
Voters can obtain information on their voting precinct and a personalized sample ballot online at the Georgia Secretary of State website, www.sos.ga.gov and choosing “Elections” and then, “My Voter Page.”
Carroll County voting information is available at www.elections.carrollcountyga.com.
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