It’s been one week since Georgia voters cast ballots in the November 8 General Election and soon, they’ll head back to the polls. The state Senate runoff is scheduled for December 6. Ahead of the runoff, voters will have at least five days of early in-person voting available to them.
Habersham County Election Supervisor Laurel Ellison on Tuesday released the county’s early voting schedule. Only one precinct will be open for early voting – Habersham North at the Ruby Fulbright Aquatic Center in Clarkesville. Polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. November 28 through December 2.
There will be no Saturday voting in Habersham County.
State law prohibits it
Despite early indications from state election officials that Saturday voting would be allowed in the runoff, they now say state law prohibits it.
In 2016, Georgia lawmakers passed a bill prohibiting in-person early voting on Saturdays if a holiday is within two days beforehand. Thanksgiving falls on November 24 and a state holiday formerly recognized as Robert E. Lee’s Birthday is observed on November 25. The schedules used not to conflict because runoffs took place nine weeks after election day, long after those holidays. However, Georgia’s new voting law passed last year moved runoffs to four weeks after election day, creating the scheduling conflict.
“It’s not our choice. It’s literally in black-letter law that the Saturday following a state holiday cannot be used for early voting,” state election official Gabriel Sterling told reporters. “We all thought there was going to be Saturday voting until we looked at the law really closely.”
The secretary of state’s office gave counties the option to hold advance voting prior to Thanksgiving and on the Sunday after, but Habersham County is not offering that.
Who can vote?
Any Georgian who was registered to vote as of November 7, 2022, will be allowed to cast a ballot in the runoff, even if they did not vote in the general election.
Voters may request absentee mail-in ballots through Monday, November 28. Those unsure of their eligibility are encouraged to visit the My Voter Page on the secretary of state’s website to check their voter registration status.
For more information about runoff elections, contact your County Registrar’s Office.
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