Elections

Voting During A Virus: How Voters Can Stay Safe This Election Season

With less than a month until the Nov. 3 general election, voters may still be trying to decide who to cast their ballot for. Meanwhile, local election officials are working to make sure that voters participate safely amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In Georgia, early voting is set to start on…

How to Cast Your Ballot in the General Election

Driven by the COVID-19 pandemic to put pens to paper, a record 1.1 million Georgians voted by mail in the June 9 primary. County officials across the state rejected about 1%, or almost 12,000, of those absentee ballots for various reasons, said Walter Jones, a communications consultant for Georgia’s Secretary…

Jackson County Candidates to Discuss Issues in Virtual Forum

The Jackson County Area Chamber of Commerce Candidate Forum will feature candidates running in elections ranging from the 9th District congressional race to state house and state senate candidates vying for their chance to represent the public under the gold dome. Candidates for the Jackson County 1st District county commission…

Oconee County Prepares for Increase in Absentee Voting

Absentee voting has always been a practical means of voting in statewide elections. Now, in 2020, it’s essential. Claire Vogel will be one Oconee County resident voting through an absentee ballot in the November general election. Vogel, a third-year student at the University of Michigan, will send in her absentee…

Jackson County Offers In-Person Voting for Coming Election

Jackson County residents will have the option to vote in-person both early and on Election Day, despite the COVID-19 pandemic.  Nov. 3 is marked on people’s calendars across the country as the day America will decide on what the next four years of government will look like. But how will…

Countdown to Election 2020 (March 6)

The Legal Transition: Name, Gender Markers on Government Documents May Complicate Voting for Transgender People

When University of Georgia senior Van H., who requested that his last name not be used to protect his privacy, decided to change his name, asking his friends and family to call him Van was the easy part—legally transitioning would prove to be more complicated. Photo Identification Laws in Georgia,…

UGA Votes Works to Increase Young Voter Turnout

After a sharp increase in young voters during the 2018 midterm election, UGA Votes, a voter registration and engagement campaign, is hoping to see this continue in 2020. UGA Votes helps voters register, change registration addresses and fill out absentee ballots. According to the United States Census, voter turnout for…