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PO Box 843, Zebulon, Georgia 30295. You can donate through PayPal at the link on the bottom of the page. Becky Watts: Phone # 770-468-7583 editor(@)pikecountytimes.com
 
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Election Alert: 1 Week Left to Register to Vote in Presidential Preference Primary

ATLANTA – Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger reminded Georgians Monday that they have just days to register to vote to be able to participate in the March 24 Presidential Preference Primary.

Advance voting begins March 2, but the last day to register is Monday, Feb. 24, according to Georgia law. The Presidential Preference Primary will be the first time voters statewide use Georgia’s new secure paper-ballot system.

“The secure paper-ballot system is in place to provide voters assurance their ballots are secure. Georgians need to do their part by registering,” Raffensperger said. “We have made registering easy and convenient, which is why the number of Georgia voters is soaring.”

There are more than 7.2 million registered voters in Georgia. More than 460,000 people registered to vote last year, 78 percent did automatically through the Department of Driver Services.

All Georgians should check their voter registration information to make sure they are still registered where they currently reside. They can check your registration using the My Voter Page (MVP) website https://www.mvp.sos.ga.gov. If they are not able to locate their registration using the MVP website, or your information displayed on the MVP website is not accurate, they may submit a new voter registration application or update the information in your existing registration online at this link: https://registertovote.sos.ga.gov.

Registration is also possible at county elections offices, state agencies that provide food stamps and Medicaid and mental health, military recruiting centers and public libraries.

Preparations for the Presidential Preference Primary includes the removal of the 18-year-old voting machines and delivery to every county of the new secure paper-ballot system, as well as technical support and training to county elections supervisors who are responsible for training the poll workers they hire locally.

The paper-ballot system has been used in six counties in a pilot during the November municipal elections and then the December runoff. It was also used in special elections in a total of 12 counties held Jan. 28 and Feb. 4.

An important feature of the new system is the ability to audit the results. Two public audits, using different methods, have already demonstrated the accuracy and reliability of the results.

To educate voters on ways Georgia is protecting election integrity, Raffensperger launched Secure the Vote. More information is online at https://securevotega.com/.

Georgia is a leader in election innovation and access with automatic voter registration through the Department of Driver Services, three weeks of early voting – including a Saturday, and no-excuse absentee voting. It is the top state in the number of motor voter registrations and, in the last election cycle, experienced record registration and a record increase in turnout.

[Note from the Editor: You can look at pictures of how the new voting machine will work by clicking here. If you have questions or need an absentee ballot by mail, you need to call or go by the Elections and Registration Office located beside the Sheriff's Office at 81 Jackson Street in Zebulon. (Look for the long white awning.) You can call them at (770) 567-2003.]

Submitted 2.17.20
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