Election 2020: What you need to know to go vote

Election Day 2020 is upon us, and Polk County will likely see several more thousand people take part even after more than 13,000 have already cast a ballot early.

Since the Board of Elections is expected to have their busiest day in recent history throughout Tuesday, it might be helpful to ensure that people know what they need to do before going to vote.

Below is a guide of who and what’s on the ballot in 2020, where to vote if you haven’t already, how to see if your absentee ballot has arrived to the Board of Elections if you went that route, and more.

Voters, if you are registered and haven’t go to do so, this is your last chance. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Nov. 3, 2020.

Polling places in Polk County

As stated above, polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. If voters are waiting in line to vote when the polls close, unless otherwise noted they stay open to allow those in line to cast a ballot. Note: this could delay election results if this is the case.

Please try to go vote as soon as possible on Tuesday to avoid causing additional time to tabulate the vote.

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The following locations listed below are polling places in Polk County, and the links on each one point to a Google Map for help getting directions. Visit the Secretary of State’s My Voter Page to check your status for voting, and which of these polling locations you need to visit.

To access information on the state’s My Voter Page in the link above, you’ll need to include your first initial, last name, county of residence, and date of birth to login.

Precinct No. 1 – Aragon

Aragon Community Center – 7 Elm St., Aragon, Ga., 30104

Precinct No. 2 – Blooming Grove

Pine Bower Baptist Church – 100 Pine Bower Road, Cedartown, Ga., 30125

Precinct No. 3 – Cedartown

Bert Wood Youth and Athletic Complex Gymnasium – 605 Lynton Drive, Cedartown, Ga., 30125

Precinct No. 4 – Fish Creek

Victory Baptist Church – 15 Hendrix Road, Rockmart, Ga., 30153

Precinct No. 5 – Lake Creek

Cedar Lake Christian Center – 1890 Rome Highway, Cedartown, Ga., 30125

Precinct No. 6 – Rockmart

Rockmart Community Center – 604 Goodyear Ave., Rockmart, Ga. 30153

Precinct No. 7 – Youngs Grove

Youngs Grove Baptist Church – 2255 Antioch Road, Cedartown, Ga., 30125

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What you’ll need to vote

If you’re already registered to vote, great! All you need then is a proof of identification (your license, U.S. Passport, a state-issued photo ID for instance) to get your ballot and take part in the 2020 election.

You can find a full list of documents accepted to prove that you’re a registered voter allowed to take part in the election here.

During COVID-19, additional precautions are being taken at the polls. It is recommended that you wear a mask, keep a small bottle of hand sanitizer with you to disinfect your hands if you plan to use your fingers to navigate the touchscreen. I’d personally suggest you take your own tablet stylus with you instead and avoid touching the screens completely.

Voters, please keep six feet apart while waiting in line to vote on Tuesday. That’s the length of two average-sized people touching fingers with their arms spread out for easier reference.

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Absentee voting

If you have cast an absentee ballot and want to check in on its status, you can visit the My Voter Page to see if it has arrived at the Board of Elections office. You have to login using the same method as before to link into the system and ensure your ballot has arrived.

For those who got an absentee ballot and haven’t returned it, the ballot must be in the hands of the Board of Elections office by 7 p.m. on November 3. There is an absentee ballot drop box out in front of the old County Administration building where the office resides that can be accessed 24 hours a day up through 7 p.m. on Election Day, when the last check will be taken and any ballots within collected.

Voters who want to surrender their absentee ballot on Election Day and have decided to vote in person can, but they must come to their precinct with the ballot, turn it over to an official and go through a process to vote in person.

It is easier to turn in the absentee ballot in person at the dropbox on Tuesday than it would be to either mail or surrender the paper ballot to vote in person on Nov. 3.

However, the process is available at each precinct and a system has been put in place to handle voters who have changed their minds about using a paper ballot and want to vote on Election Day. Should you choose to vote this way after asking for an absentee ballot, expect the process to take longer on Tuesday when you go to vote and allow extra time to do so.

Of note: do not try to vote on Nov. 3 if you have already sent in your absentee ballot. That is considered double voting, and is illegal.

Voters should be aware that the Board of Elections will forward charges to the District Attorney for anyone during this election cycle who tries to double vote on Election Day by sending in an absentee ballot and also trying to vote in person.

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What’s on the ballot in 2020

This year is a Presidential Election year, so much of the focus is being placed on that race for the November vote.

President Donald Trump is once again representing the Republican Party in hopes of securing a second term in office, while Democratic nominee former Vice President Joe Biden seeks to upend four years of the Trump administration and win the election. Their running mates are Vice President Mike Pence, and U.S. Senator Kamala Harris respectively. (A Libertarian candidate is also on the ballot, Jo Jorgensen and Jeremy Cohen.)

Georgia has two U.S. Senate races this year: one for Senator Perdue’s seat, and the other for the one currently held by Kelly Loeffler.

David Perdue (R,) is seeking a new term in office against Democrat Jon Ossoff. Loeffler faces multiple candidates, but her main competition has been fellow Republican Congressman Doug Collins, and Democratic nominee Rev. Raphael Warnock.

Loeffler seeks to win and represent Georgian’s in the remainder of the time left by the now-retired Senator Johnny Isakson.

Two Public Service Commissioner races are also on the ballot, the U.S. House race featuring Marjorie Greene and Democrat Kevin Van Ausdal, who dropped out of the race previously.

Area and local races of note include the State Senate race between Jason Anavitarte and Tianna Smith, the House Race between State Rep. Trey Kelley and Lyndsay Arrendale, and the local County Commission District 2 race featuring five candidates: Linda Liles, Glenn Robinson, Chris Roberson, Jody Bentley Smith and Ricky Clark.

Other races on the ballot this year in local races are uncontested, and thus are on the ballot for purely technical reasons.

Three questions are on the ballot statewide as well for Amendments to the state constitution, and a referendum. Read about those here.

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