This weekend Georgia voters will go to the polls to cast their ballots in the 2016 General Election. Saturday voting takes place Oct. 29th.
Habersham County’s two main precincts will be open: Habersham North is located at the Ruby C. Fulbright Aquatic Center in Clarkesville and Habersham South is at the First Baptist Church of Cornelia.
Registered voters may cast ballots at either polling location regardless of where their assigned precinct is located. The polls will be open Saturday from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
READ: Habersham County 2016 voting dates, times & locations
Heavy early voter turnout
If early voter turnout is any indication, you can expect a strong showing at the polls Saturday and next week when Advanced Voting begins.
Election Supervisor Laurel Ellison reports that as of Thursday, 5,086 people have voted in Habersham since early voting began on Oct. 17th. An additional 972 absentee ballots have been issued and 683 returned. That brings the total of early and absentee General Election ballots cast so far in Habersham to 5,769 – 1,422 more than the combined total of all early, absentee and advanced votes cast during the three weeks leading up to the locally charged primary back in May.
Describing turnout as “heavy”, Ellison says early voting wait times at the elections office are running between 5-10 minutes. “Seems to be that the best times to vote are first thing in the morning at 8 a.m. or late in the evening close to 5 p.m.,” she says.
Early voting at the Elections & Registration Office continues through Nov. 4th. The office is open from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. and is located in the basement of the Habersham County administration building (old courthouse) at 555 Monroe Street in Clarkesville.
Absentee and Advanced Voting
Advanced voting begins Oct. 31st at Habersham North and Habersham South precincts and will continue through Nov. 4th. You can cast your ballot at either polling location from 8 a.m.-7 p.m. during those dates regardless of your assigned precinct.
If you’re unable to make it to the polls to vote in person, you may apply for an absentee ballot. The deadline to apply is Nov. 4th. For applications, call the county Elections & Registration Office at 706-839-0170 or visit the Secretary of State’s election website at https://sos.ga.gov/index.php/Elections/absentee_voting_in_georgia.
If you do not vote on or before Nov. 4th you must wait until Election Day on Nov. 8th and then you may only vote at your assigned precinct.
Sample ballots and write-in candidates
In addition to this year’s presidential race, there are four state constitutional amendments on the ballot along with a number of state and local races (most of which were decided during the May primary) and an Educational Special Local Option Sales Tax referendum. To view sample ballots click on the following: 10th GA House District, 28th GA House District, Town of Alto Special Election.
To view the list of qualified write-in candidates for the Presidential and Georgia U.S. Senate elections, click here.
