EDITORIAL: Voter registration clock is ticking

Published 1:30 pm Tuesday, February 18, 2020

Next month, Georgia citizens will cast ballots in the presidential primaries.

All eyes will be on our state on Tuesday, March 24, as Georgians will be the only voters casting ballots that day.

Adding to the national scrutiny, Baldwin County voters will also decide on the same ballot whether or not to extend the local 1-cent sales tax for education, or ESPLOST.

These factors mean it’s vitally important for local citizens to be on top of their voting status. If you want to vote in the upcoming primary, and why shouldn’t you, you have just a few days left to register. 

Monday, Feb. 24 is the last day to register for the presidential primary and ESPLOST election. 

This is a major election year, which will determine who will lead our nation for the next four years. It’s not an election cycle that any eligible voter should want to sit out, nor should they in any election year. 

Why would any eligible voter not wish to have a say in which way the pendulum swings for our future both locally with the E-SPLOST to be decided and on the national level? Remember also that Georgia has an open primary, meaning you don’t have to designate a party to vote next month.

To register to vote in Georgia, an individual must be a citizen of the United States, be a legal resident of the county, be at least 17 and 1/2 years of age, and not serving a sentence or probation for a felony conviction

You can download a fillable, postage-paid voter registration application from the secretary of state office’s webpage to mail or drop off at the county registrar’s office.

Visit the “My Voter Page” at (https://www.mvp.sos.ga.gov) to check your voting status or download an application to register. If they are not able to locate the registration using the MVP website, or your information displayed on the MVP website is not accurate, you may submit a new voter registration application or update the information in your existing registration online at this link: https://registertovote.sos.ga.gov.

Need other options? Visit the county board of registrar’s office located in the Baldwin County Courthouse, Department of Driver Services office, the local library, or City Hall to register in-person. Georgia College, Georgia Military College and Central Georgia Technical College students can also get applications from their campus registrar’s office. 

According to the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office, there are more than 7.2 million registered voters in Georgia. More than 460,000 people registered to vote last year, and 78 percent did automatically through the Department of Driver Services.

Think you’re registered but not sure of your voting status? 

Registered voters in Georgia can also call the local voter registrar’s office to verify that they are eligible to vote, 478-445-4526. Voters should also check to make sure their address and information are listed correctly and the same as it is on the identification they plan to use when they show up to vote. To check your status, stop by the registrar’s office, visit the secretary of state’s website or download the “GA Votes” from your Android or Apple mobile device.

Why would anyone who has the opportunity miss out on casting a vote to decide the direction of our future? The first step is getting registered. The deadline is drawing near.

Advance voting begins March 2.