When is the Presidential Primary? When is the registration date cutoff? You’ve got questions, we’ve got answers. Bottom line: expect to head to the polls a lot in 2020.

Presidential Primary Date: March 24, 2020. 
**Voter Registration Cutoff: February 24**
This is when you’ll head to the polls to choose the presidential candidate you want representing the Democrats in the 2020 election against President Trump.

General Primary Date: May 19, 2020
**Voter Registration Cutoff: April 20**
This is when you’ll go to vote for who you want to represent the Democrats for federal and state offices (ie: who you want to challenge Senator David Perdue, who you want to represent you in Georgia’s state house and senate, etc)

General Primary Runoff: July 21, 2020
**Voter Registration Cutoff (federal offices only): June 22**
If someone doesn’t get 50% + 1 of the popular vote in the May 19 primary, the election will go to a runoff of the top two candidates.

 General Election: November 3, 2020
**Voter Registration Cutoff: October 5**
This is it. The Big Day. Get out and vote like your rights depend on it (they do).

General Election Runoff for State and Local Offices: December 1, 2020
**Voter Registration Cutoff: October 5**
If someone doesn’t get 50% + 1 of the popular vote in the November 3 election, the election will go to a runoff of the top two candidates.

General Election Runoff for Federal Offices: January 5, 2021
**Voter Registration Cutoff: December 7, 2020**
Basically, this is going to be the runoff for Isakson’s seat. Since his election is a special jungle election, there may be more than two candidates running for one party. And if someone doesn’t get 50% + 1 of the popular vote on November 3, this will be the date of the runoff.

What about early voting? That will be decided about 2 months before each election. Stay tuned!

We’re going to be busy in 2020, knocking doors and explaining all these elections to people. Can you spare $5 a month for a recurring donation so we can print canvassing handouts and run Facebook ads?

Source: Georgia secretary of state

When you look at your ballot for the November 6th election, you’ll see five constitutional amendment options, two statewide referenda, a Fulton county referendum, and possibly a city referendum or two. Below, you can find plain-language explanations, plus recommended voting suggestions. This information is meant to be used as an informational guide; we encourage all voters to make informed decisions and vote how they individually choose.

Click here for a printable pdf of in-depth recommendations and explanations from Stacey Abrams and the Democratic Party of Georgia.

See below for a shorter version that includes Fulton County initiatives.

Amendment 1: Create Georgia Outdoor Stewardship to Protect Water, Wildlife, and Parks

Amendment 2: Creates a State-wide Business Court

Amendment 3:  Encourages Conservation and Sustainability for Georgia Working Forests

How it will look on your ballot: Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended so as to revise provisions related to the subclassification for tax purposes of and the prescribed methodology for establishing the value of forest land conservation use property and related assistance grants, to provide that assistance grants related to forest land conservation use property may be increased by general law for a five-year period and that up to 5 percent of assistance grants may be deducted and retained by the state revenue commissioner to provide for certain state administrative costs, and to provide for the subclassification of qualified timberland property for ad valorem taxation purposes?

Recommendation from Stacey Abrams and the Democratic Party of Georgia: Vote Yes.
Additional note from the Fulton County Dems: Georgia’s forestry economy depends on the ability to sustain the ‘growing season’ for these ‘farmers’.

Amendment 4: Marsy’s Law Rights to Victims for ‘allegedly’ been perpetrated

How it will look on your ballot: Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended so as to provide certain rights to victims against whom a crime has allegedly been perpetrated and allow victims to assert such rights?

Recommendation from Stacey Abrams and the Democratic Party of Georgia: Vote Yes.
Additional note from the Fulton County Dems: The criticism for those voting no is that this is already in the laws of Georgia and it infringes on the rights of those accused. The justification is mainly to protect women whose rights are often ignored vs. a ‘known’ abuser who will not be denied.

Amendment 5: Authorizes the Fair Allocation of Tax Proceeds To County and City School Systems

How it will look on your ballot: Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended so as to authorize a referendum for a sales and use tax for education by a county school district or an independent school district or districts within the county having a majority of the students enrolled within the county and to provide that the proceeds are distributed on a per student basis among all the school systems unless an agreement is reached among such school systems for a different distribution?

You might also see city questions about taxes or Sunday Alcohol Sales. The Fulton County Dems recommend voting yes on all Sunday Alcohol Sales referenda.

Ready to vote? Click here to find your nearest early voting location and times of operation.

Did you know that anybody can vote by mail in Georgia? You don’t need a reason, but you do need to fill out a form to request a ballot.

1. Make sure that your voter registration is correct. You can check your status and registered address at the My Voter Page. If you need to make changes, you can quickly make updates online.
2. Download this form from the Secretary of State’s website. Complete the form in full, including your signature at the bottom. You don’t need to include your Driver’s License number, although it could help your application be processed quicker.
3. Mail your application to Fulton County Registrar at 130 PEACHTREE STREET 2186 SW, ATLANTA, GA 30303-3460. The Democratic Party of Georgia recommends you get your application in the mail by Friday, October 26. You can check when your application is received on your My Voter Page.
4. You will receive an absentee ballot in the mail, along with instructions and a return envelope. (The county registrars will begin mailing them out in mid-September). Once you receive your ballot, complete it, making sure to put your address and date of birth on the outer envelope where indicated, and don’t forget to sign your ballot. When you mail your ballot back to your county registrar (address above), make sure to use two stamps. You can check to see when your ballot is received on your My Voter Page. Ballots must be received by November 6, 2018 in order to be counted.

FAQ

Check out the Democratic Party of Georgia’s FAQ here.

Is voting by mail secure? Yes! You can track your ballot’s progress on your My Voter Page. You’ll see the date your ballot was mailed to you, the date it was received by the county registrar, and the date it was counted. The DPG also has a full-time Voter Protection Director who will have representatives on-site to watch ballot counts on election day (plus a team of lawyers to respond to any issues that may arise!).

What if I check My Voter Page and I don’t see my ballot received by the registrar? If your ballot hasn’t been received by the last day of early voting, call the county registrar (Fulton County: (404) 612-3816) and ask that they cancel your ballot, then go vote in person.

I’m not sure that my ballot will arrive at the registrar’s office by election day! What do I do? You can hand your ballot into the registrar yourself.

Why should I vote absentee? It’s an easy and verifiable form of voting. Plus, if any issues arise with your registration or ballot in the process of voting, the DPG will be able to help correct the issues so that your vote will still count by election day.

What if I have more questions? Call the Democratic Party of Georgia’s Voter Protection Hotline at 888-730-5816. They’re here to help, no matter how small your question may seem!