Paulding County Voter Guide 2020: Deadlines, How To Vote

DALLAS-HIRAM, GA —The Nov. 3 election is quickly approaching in Dallas and Hiram, and voters have already begun submitting absentee ballots through early voting locations, mail and drop boxes. This year, Paulding County voters will decide on races for president, U.S. House and U.S. Senate as well as state constitutional amendments and various local races.

EARLY IN-PERSON VOTING IN PAULDING COUNTY

Early in-person voting for the Nov. 3 general election runs through Oct. 30, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., at these three locations. Paulding County residents can vote at any of these locations during early voting, regardless of what your assigned precinct would be on Nov. 3:

• Watson Government Complex, Elections Office, 240 Constitution Blvd., Dallas
• Burnt Hickory Park, 8650 Cartersville Highway, Dallas
• Dianne Wright Innovation Center, 140 Bethel Church Road, Hiram

ABSENTEE VOTING

The deadline to apply for an absentee ballot for the Nov. 3 general election is Oct. 30. You can apply for an absentee ballot by visiting BallotRequest.SOS.GA.gov.

With few exceptions, your absentee ballot must be mailed to you at the address recorded on your voter registration. If you’re unsure of the address information on file, visit the Georgia Secretary of State’s website at www.mvp.sos.ga.gov.

For information on absentee voting in Paulding County, call 770-443-7503, ext. 4047 or 4227; or email absenteerequest@paulding.gov.

Paulding County has made three secure drop-off boxes available for returning absentee ballots ahead of the Nov. 3 election. Each box is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, through Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. No postage is necessary on ballots placed in the drop boxes.

• Watson Government Complex, Elections Office, 240 Constitution Blvd., Dallas
• Hiram City Hall, 217 Main St., Hiram
• Crossroads Public Library, 909 Harmony Grove Church Road, Acworth

PREPARING FOR ELECTION DAY

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 3. If you are in line by 7 p.m., you are allowed to cast your ballot.

On Election Day, you must vote at your designated polling place. You can find your assigned polling location on your voter registration card, by logging into the Secretary of State's My Voter Page, or by contacting your County Board of Registrar's Office. In addition, Paulding County offers a downloadable PDF map of polling locations.

When you get to your polling place, show your photo ID to the poll worker. A poll worker will check your photo ID, verify that you are registered and at the correct polling location, issue you a voter access card or ballot, whichever is applicable, and allow you to vote. Learn how to vote at polling places in Georgia.

WHAT'S ON THE BALLOT

Sample ballots are now available for Paulding County voters. Depending on where you live in Paulding, you may be in the 30th or 31st district for the Georgia Senate, or the 17th, 19th, 66th or 67th district for the Georgia General Assembly. There also are competitive races for Paulding County Commission chairman, two posts on the Paulding County Board of Education, as well as a special election for the mayor of Dallas.

Statewide, Georgians will have the opportunity to vote on two proposed constitutional amendments and a referendum. These are the amendments, with explanations by Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger:

The wording of the ballot questions is available on sample ballots found at mvp.sos.ga.

Amendment 1

"Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended so as to authorize the General Assembly to dedicate revenues derived from fees or taxes to the public purpose for which such fees or taxes were intended?"

Raffensperger's summary: This proposal authorizes the Georgia General Assembly by general law to require that fees or taxes collected for some specific intended public purpose be used as so intended. It requires any such general law to identify the specific public purpose, name the state agency to administer the funds, require the agency to make annual reports of revenues and expenses, and automatically end the fee or tax within ten years. It prohibits the General Assembly from designating funds when total revenues so dedicated equal or exceed one percent of the total state revenues based on the previous fiscal year's appropriated state revenues. It exempts such general laws from certain state constitutional restrictions. It requires that such general laws, including amendments, be approved by two-thirds of each chamber of the General Assembly, but allows for repeal of such general laws by simple majority vote. It prohibits attempts to reallocate dedicated funds through any appropriations act or amendment. It provides for temporary suspension of such general laws by the Governor or by the General Assembly in the event of a financial emergency, subject to certain limitations. It amends Article III, Section IX, Paragraph VI of the Georgia Constitution by re-designating the second subparagraph (o), relating to the dedication of the excise tax on the sale of fireworks, as subparagraph (p), by re-designating subparagraph (p), relating to the Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Fund, as subparagraph (q), and by adding a new subparagraph (r).

Amendment 2

"Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended to waive sovereign immunity and allow the people of Georgia to petition the superior court for relief from governmental acts done outside the scope of lawful authority or which violate the laws of this state, the Constitution of Georgia, or the Constitution of the United States?"

Raffensperger's summary: This proposal waives state and local sovereign immunity so as to allow citizens to sue the State of Georgia, its departments and other agencies, and its local governments in superior courts and authorizes superior courts to order state and local officers and employees to cease violations of the Georgia Constitution, the laws of the State of Georgia, or the United States Constitution, beginning with violations occurring on or after January 1, 2021. It requires that such suits be brought only against the State or Georgia, or in the case of a local government, against the specific local government. It requires superior courts to dismiss any such lawsuit that names any individual state or local public officer or employee as a defendant. It maintains the ability of superior courts to dismiss such suits based on other appropriate legal or equitable grounds or limitation on review in superior court. It prohibits any type of monetary award, including attorney's fees or costs of litigation, unless authorized by an Act of the Georgia General Assembly. It does not prohibit the General Assembly from further waiving certain other immunities provided for under Georgia's Constitution, though it does not waive any immunity provided for by the United States Constitution. It amends Article I, Section II, Paragraph V of the Georgia Constitution by rendering the current text subparagraph (a) and adding a new subparagraph (b).

Referendum

"Shall the Act be approved which provides an exemption from ad valorem taxes for all real property owned by a purely public charity, if such charity is exempt from taxation under Section 501(c)(3) of the federal Internal Revenue Code and such real property is held exclusively for the purpose of building or repairing single-family homes to be financed by such charity to individuals using loans that shall not bear interest?"

Raffensperger's summary: This proposal authorizes a new exemption from ad valorem taxes for all real property owned by a purely public charity, if such charity is exempt from federal taxation and such property is used only for building or repairing single-family homes to be financed by such charity to individuals using zero-interest loans. It amends Code Section 48-5-41 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated by deleting "and" at the end of paragraph (14), by replacing the period with "; and" at the end of paragraph (15), and by adding a new paragraph.

If approved by a majority of voters, the act becomes effective on Jan. 1, 2021, and applies to all tax years beginning on or after that date.

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