Early Voting To Begin Tuesday

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The polls will officially open for advance voting on Tuesday, October 15, in anticipation of the upcoming General Election, which is slated for November 5. Several national, state, and local races are on the ballot, as citizens will vote for everything from the next president of the United States to their local sheriff.

The presidential election is the first item on every ticket, as former President Donald J. Trump and Vice President Candidate J.D. Vance (R) take on cur – rent Vice President Kamala Harris and Tim Walz (D).

Citizens in Montgomery, Toombs, Treutlen, and Wheeler Counties will also cast their ballots for their representative in the U.S. House of Representatives, as current District 12 Representative Rick W. Allen (R) takes on challenger Elizabeth “Liz” Johnson (D) to represent the area.

All voters within these counties will also have the opportunity to share their opinions on two state constitutional amendments and a state referendum question.

The first of the two amendments could potentially create a uniform statewide homestead exemption for taxes, if approved. This statewide exemption would only be applicable to counties without existing homestead exemptions, and could be opted out of by city, county, or school district officials.

The second of the amendments proposes the creation of a statewide tax court, which would serve all counties within Georgia. Judges for this court would be appointed by state officials.

The state referendum asks citizens for their approval on raising value of tangible personal property that may be exempt from ad valorem taxes from $7,500 to $20,000. If a majority of the voters approve this transition, the law will go into effect on January 1, 2025. Montgomery County

Citizens in Montgomery County will cast their vote for the county Tax Commissioner during the general election, as incumbent Commissioner Loretta Lane (D) takes on challenger Renee Wooten-Perry (R).

Two seats on the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners are also up for grabs, as incumbent Commissioner Ginger Byrd Morris (R) faces Linda Jackson Page (D) for the District 3 seat, and Amie Vassey (R) takes on Stephanie Love Ivy for the District 2 position.

In Uvalda, citizens will vote for a candidate to finish the term of late Councilman William F. Rollins, as Tonya Donaldson and Stephanie Kerr have both thrown their names in the hat for the spot.

Toombs County

In Toombs County, citizens will cast their ballots for the next sheriff, as Jordan Kight (R) faces off with write-in candidate Rodney Wardlaw (I) for the position. Though Wardlaw’s name is not displayed on the ballot, he did qualify as a certified writein candidate – meaning, if his name is manually entered on the ballot, the vote will count.

Treutlen County

Treutlen County citizens will also vote for their preferred sheriff candidate as the incumbent Sheriff Tommy Corbin (R) takes on Kyle Strickland (D) for the spot.

Voters will also cast their ballots for the State Representative of District 158, as incumbent Representative Butch Parris (R) faces off with Madeline Ryan Smith (D).

Wheeler County

In Wheeler County, all local elections have been decided through the primary election.

Voting Locations

Voting will begin on Tuesday, October 15, instead of Monday, October 14, in observance of Vet erans Day. The polls will be open from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Monday through Friday for three weeks prior to the election. Two Saturday voting options will also be available as the polls open from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. on October 19 and October 26. The deadline to request an absentee ballot for the November 5 election is October 25.

Voters in Montgomery County will be able to cast their ballots at the Montgomery County Government Annex, located at 251 S. Richardson Street in Mount Vernon. For more information, contact Montgomery County Election Superintendent Sheila Cheek at (912) 583-2848.

In Toombs County, the polls will open at 8:30 a.m. each weekday at the Toombs County Courthouse, located at 100 Courthouse Square in Lyons, and will close at 5 p.m. each day. Saturday voting hours will run from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. For more information, contact Toombs County Election Superintendent Carey Alligood at (912) 526-8226.

Treutlen County citizens wishing to vote early should report to the Treutlen County Annex, which is located at 650 Second Street in Soperton. For more information, call Treutlen County Deputy Registrar Keri Hedgecock at (912) 529-3098.

Early voting will be held in Wheeler County at the Board of Elections Office, 16 W. Forest Avenue, Alamo. For further information, contact Election Superintendent Karen Mercer at (912) 568-0095.