Everything you need to know about voting in Georgia’s 2022 Midterm Election

So you’ve decided to vote in Georgia! Congratulations and thank you for choosing to exercise your hard-won suffrage to improve the lives of Georgians. The best thing you can do is what you are already doing— reading this article to inform yourself on how to vote and who/what to vote for. This article is nonpartisan, meaning unbiased/not representing a certain political party or ideology. This was also made with the Fulton county (SCAD Atlanta) voter in mind. So if you are living outside of Fulton county (check here), please refer to Branch to plan your visit to the polls. Branch allows you to read about your ballot and plan your answers in advance. No need to skip questions you don’t understand – your vote matters.

When is election day?

Election day is November 8 in Georgia. 

When can I vote?

If you’ve already registered to vote (closed Oct. 11), you can go to your county’s early voting location and vote now. If you miss the early voting period, Oct. 17-Nov. 4, you’ll have another chance on election day on Nov. 8 from 7am to 7pm EST.

Do I need to bring anything?

Yes, you’ll need to bring some sort of state or federal-issued identification card. This includes things like a Georgia drivers license, passport, military ID or even your SCAD ID. 

If you don’t have any of these but are eligible to vote in Georgia, you can obtain a voter ID card. These are available at any Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS), free of charge. 

If you forget your ID, a Poll Clerk will provide you with a provisional ballot. You’ll be able to fill this out as you would a regular ballot. You will just need bring in a valid ID within 3 days of voting after filling out your provisional ballot so they can make sure you are eligible to vote. 

Can I vote from home?

Yes, you can request absentee up until Oct. 28. If you miss the deadline and would still like to vote but don’t have transportation, check out MARTA’s comprehensive list of early voting locations that are MARTA-accessable. This includes polling locations in DeKalb, Clayton and Fulton counties (SCAD House, Forty and Forty Four are all located in Fulton county).

Voting and Election Laws

Know your rights: read about voter accessibility laws, voter intimidation, and your federal voting rights here. If you see any suspicious behavior that you think may be voter fraud or supression, report it right away.

Districts you live in

If you’re a student living in the Midtown area, here are some handy things to know about your district information:

• State of Georgia
• City of Atlanta
• Congressional District 5
• State Senate District 36
• State House District 58
• Atlanta Judicial Circuit 
• Fulton County Commission District 4

What do these mean?

Each state has two senators to represent them, as The Constitution perscribes. Senators represent the whole state, right now Georgia’s senators are Reverend Raphael Warnock (D) and Jon Ossoff (D). 

Members of the House represent the state’s individual districts, which are determined by the population of the state (about 700,000 people per district). For example, Wyoming has one congressional district, while California has 53. 

County Comissioners represent individual counties and their interests at the state and federal level. Meet Fulton County’s Board of Comissioners here, Commissioner Natalie Hall represents District 4 (Midtown/SCAD area). 

What’s on my ballot this Midterm Election?

When you vote, you’ll be voting for 11 office positions and 6 referendums. A referendum is a single question that is given to the electorate, or the voting public, to decide on instead of the legislative body. Theoretical examples of a referendum include:

• A vote to use a certain amount of public money to build a new public park
• A vote to repeal a ban on recreational marijuana

The office positions you’ll be voting for are:

• Lieutenant Governor
  • Second highest elected official to represent Georgia. 
• Attorney General
  • Chief lawyer for Georgia in legal cases.
• Agriculture Commissioner
  • Oversees quality of food and food production in Georgia. This affects cost of living in Georgia and the environment.
• Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner
  • Manages insurance and fire safety in Georgia. This person makes sure there is no corruption in the insurance agencies and affects healthcare costs.
• State School Superintendent
  • Head of Georgia’s K-12 public schools. This will affect school curriculum and teacher recruitment.
• Labor Commissioner
  • Manages labor regulations in Georgia. This will affect worker’s rights in Georgia and how the state responds to labor shortages.
• US Representative
  • Georgia’s federal lawmaker in the House of Representatives. In Georgia this mainly affects quality of roads and state taxes.
• US Senator
  • One of two federal lawmakers who represents Georgia in the Senate. This impacts Georgia’s economic growth and foreign policy.
• Governor
  • The chief executive officer (manager) of each state who implements laws and oversees Georgia’s executive branch. This position is one of the most important and impacts things like public safety, healthcare costs, and public school curriculum in Georgia.
• Secretary of State
  • Oversees business licensing, voting, and elections in Georgia. This mostly impacts small businesses, but also access to polls.
• Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor
  • Manages natural resources and conservation of them in Georgia. 

Your referendums include:

• Proposed Constititional Amendment 1
  • Stops pay for elected officials suspended for being formally accused of a crime.
• Proposed Constitutional Amendment 2
  • Allows local governments waive property taxes for those affected by a disaster. 
• Statewide Referendum Quesiton #1
  • Lowers taxes on dairy and egg farms.
• Statewide Referendum Question #2
  • Lowers taxes for loggers on certain equipment.
• Extension of Hours for Sale of Packaged Alcoholic Beverages on Sundays
  • Adjusts the hours of alcohol sale from 12:30am-11:30pm to 11am-12am (midnight) on Sundays.
• Fulton County School District Homestead Exemption
  • Gives seniors (65+) $10,000 off their property taxes, but lowers public school funding within the county.

Who are the candidates?

Each candidate and their personal campaign sites are linked and listed below. 

Please also make sure to visit Branch’s website to better compare candidates based off of issues you care most about such as education, economy, healthcare, voting and public safety. Branch also allows you to store your votes so you don’t forget once you get to the polls.

• Lieutenant Governor
  • Burt Jones (R) 
  • Charlie Bailey (D)
  • Ryan Graham (L) 

• Attorney General
  • Chris Carr (R)
  • Jen Jordan (D)
  • Martin Cowen (L)

• Agriculture Comissioner
  • Tyler Harper (R)
  • Nakita Hemingway (D)
  • David Raudabaugh (L)

• Insurance & Safety Fire Comissioner
  • John King (R)
  • Janice Laws Robinson (D)

• State School Superintendent
  • Richard Woods (R)
  • Alisha Thomas Searcy (D)

• Labor Commissioner
  • Bruce Thompson (R)
  • Will Boddie (D)
  • Emily Anderson (L)

• US Representative
  • Christian Zimm (R)
  • Nikema Williams (D)

• US Senator
  • Herschel Walker (R)
  • Reverend Raphael Warnock (D)
  • Chase Oliver (L)

• Governor
  • Brian Kemp (R)
  • Stacey Abrams (D)
  • Shane Hazel (L)

• Secretary of State
  • Brad Raffensperger (R)
  • Bee Nguyen (D)
  • Ted Metz (L)

• Soil & Water Conservation District Supervisor (2, uncontested)
  • Jason Ulseth (nonpartisan)
  • Walter Rekuc (nonpartisan)

After considering the candidates and where your personal beliefs fall, write down or memorize the names of the candidates you’d like to vote for. Once you leave the polls, congratulate yourself for being a productive citizen! You can now “track” your vote via the Georgia MVP Portal. 

Happy Election Day and happy voting!