The lists of candidates on the May 24 ballot will be as long as any in recent memory. For those wanting to stay ahead of the crowds, early voting will run from May 2 through May 20.
As is customary, early voting will be held at the Fayette County Elections Office in the county complex on Stonewall Avenue in downtown Fayetteville, at the Peachtree City Library and at Tyrone Town Hall.
Ballots can be cast at those locations May 2-20 from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Saturday voting will also be held at the same locations on May 14 from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.
There will be no voting on Monday, May 23.
Aside from the many races on the ballot, voting in Fayette’s four new geographical districts, as opposed to the former five districts, means that some on the Fayette County Board of Education and Fayette County Commission whose seats are up for election are no longer in the district in which they previously served.
The seats under the new district voting map for the District 1 commissioner (currently held by David Barlow), District 2 commissioner (currently held by Randy Ognio) and the at-large post are up for election in May. The terms of District 3 Commissioner Steve Brown and District 4 Commissioner Charles Rousseau will expire in 2018.
School board elections under the new district voting map include seats up for District 1 (currently held by Barry Marchman), District 3 (currently held by Marion Key) and the new at-large seat. The terms of District 2 school board member Diane Basham and District 4 school board school board member Leonard Presberg will expire in 2018.
If this sounds confusing, not to worry. Given the geographical changes inherent with transitioning from five districts to four, along with an at-large district, new voter registration cards (sometimes referred to as precinct cards) will be mailed by the beginning of May, county elections staff said.
The new cards will include the polling location and the precinct in which the person votes.
A sample ballot will be available in the coming weeks, according to the elections office.
Voters needing to change a name or address or to obtain a variety of information including a sample ballot, qualified candidates for their area, polling location and an absentee ballot application can visit www.mvp.sos.ga.gov.
For a look at the new district voting map visit https://thecitizen.com/government-board-education/fayette-school-board-and-county-commission-vote-settle-district-voting.
