Election Day 2018: Fulton Candidates, Voting Hours, Sample Ballot

FULTON COUNTY, GA — Election Day 2018 is finally here, and residents around Fulton County who did not take advantage of early voting opportunities will venture to the polls Tuesday to cast ballots in federal, state and local races.

Polls are open from 7 a.m to 7 p.m. Nov. 6 so you can have your say in the race for governor, the battle for a Congressional seat and contests for State House and State Senate seats. Fulton County said Monday that 224,653 residents voted early ahead of Tuesday's election. Across the state, a little more than 2 million voters cast ballots during the early voting period before the midterms, the Secretary of State's Office said.

“We knew we could break 200,000 early voters but because of the momentum of people heading to the polls, we hit over 224,000,” said Richard Barron, director, Fulton County Registration and Elections. “Reaching this number of early voters supports our opening many locations to provide our residents with an opportunity to choose when and where they want to vote."

Of course, the election that has all eyes on Georgia is the race to become the Peach State's next governor. Democrat Stacey Abrams, Republican Brian Kemp and Libertarian Ted Metz are running to succeed outgoing Gov. Nathan Deal. Kemp and Abrams have been polling at a statistical tie, leading many to wonder if Tuesday's race will result in a December runoff.

Of course, this election has become more contentious in its final hours, as Kemp, Georgia's secretary of state, is accusing the Democratic Party of Georgia of trying to hack into the state's voter registration system. The GBI said its Georgia Cyber Crime Center is investigating the claims.

For the lieutenant governor's race, Republican Geoff Duncan and Democrat Sarah Riggs Amico are vying to succeed Casey Cagle, the outgoing incumbent who lost the primary for the governor's seat.

The battle to become Georgia's next secretary of state is a three-way race among Republican Brad Raffensperger, Democrat John Barrow and Libertarian Smythe Duval. Incumbent Republican Chris Carr is hoping to continue on as Georgia's attorney general in his fight against Democrat Charlie Bailey. Other statewide races on the ballot include:

Agriculture Commissioner

• Gary Black (incumbent), Republican
• Fred Swann, Democrat

Insurance Commissioner

• Jim Beck, Republican
• Janice Laws, Democrat
• Donnie Foster, Libertarian

State Schools Superintendent

• Richard Woods (incumbent), Republican
• Otha E. Thornton Jr., Democrat

Labor Commissioner

• Mark Butler (incumbent), Republican
• Richard Keatley, Democrat

At the federal level, voters in Georgia's 6th Congressional District will either re-elect incumbent Republican Karen Handel or choose Democrat Lucy McBath to represent them in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Handel defeated Democrat Jon Ossoff in June 2017 to win the special election for the seat, which was vacated when Tom Price resigned to become President Donald Trump's Health and Human Services secretary. Handel is now serving out Price's unexpired term, which ends in December.

McBath, a Cobb County resident and advocate for gun safety, had a 30-year career with Delta Airlines before she shifted her focus to public service, her website states. She is the mother of Jordan Davis, 17, who was shot and killed outside a gas station in Florida by a man who complained the teenager was playing his music too loud. The shooter was convicted of murder and was sentenced to serve life in prison.

Sandy Springs voters in Georgia's 11th Congressional District will consider re-electing Barry Loudermilk, the incumbent Republican, or choosing Democrat Flynn Broady to represent them in the U.S. House. Loudermilk, a small business owner, served in the Georgia State Senate before he was elected to Congress in 2014. Broady is the prosecuting attorney for Cobb's DUI court. The 11th Congressional District includes Bartow and Cherokee counties and parts of Cobb and Fulton counties.

A slew of contested State House and State Senate races are on the ballot for North Fulton County voters:

Senate District 6 (Cobb and Sandy Springs)

• Leah Aldridge, Republican
• Jen Jordan (incumbent), Democrat

Senate District 21 (Alpharetta, Milton, Cherokee County)

• Brandon Beach (incumbent), Republican
• Nicole Nash, Democrat

Senate District 32 (East Cobb and parts of Sandy Springs)

• Kay Kirkpatrick (incumbent), Republican
• Christine Triesbsch, Democrat

Senate District 40 (Dunwoody and parts of Sandy Springs)

• Fran Millar (incumbent), Republican
• Sally Harrell Democrat

Senate District 56 (Roswell, Sandy Springs, parts of Cherokee County)

• John Albers (incumbent), Republican
• Ellyn Jeager (challenger), Democrat

House District 45 (parts of Sandy Springs)

• Matt Dollar (incumbent), Republican
• Essence Johnson, Democrat

House District 47 (Milton)

• Jan Jones (incumbent), Republican
• Andrea Nugent, Democrat

House District 48 (Roswell)

• Betty Price (incumbent), Republican
• Mary Robichaux, Democrat

House District 49 (Alpharetta)

• Chuck Martin (incumbent), Republican
• Krishan Bralley, Democrat

House District 50 (Johns Creek)

• Angelika Kausche, Democrat
• Kelly Stewart, Republican

House District 51 (Sandy Springs, Roswell and Johns Creek)

• Alex Kaufman, Republican
• Josh McLaurin, Democrat

House District 52 (Sandy Springs)

• Deborah Silcox (incumbent), Republican
• Shea Roberts, Democrat

House District 80 (Brookhaven and parts of Sandy Springs)

• Meagan Hanson (incumbent), Republican
• Matthew Wilson, Democrat

Voters in Sandy Springs, Roswell, Alpharetta, Milton and Johns Creek will consider whether to allow restaurants to serve alcohol by the drink starting at 11 a.m. on Sundays instead of 12:30 p.m. Several cities and jurisdictions around the state are voting on this question as a result of the Brunch Bill that passed the Georgia General Assembly.

Alpharetta, Milton, Roswell, Mountain Park and Johns Creek residents will also vote on a referendum to impose new homestead exemptions. If approved by voters, the exemptions would freeze homeowners' tax assessments at the 2016 level. It would allow increases up to 3 percent or the rate of inflation, whichever is less.

The homestead exemptions would remain in place as long as homeowners own their homes. The more current assessment would take effect and become the new "frozen" level once a home is sold. This measure is already allowed in Sandy Springs.

Incumbent County Commission Chairman Robb Pitts and Commissioners Liz Hausmann of District 1, Lee Morris of District 3 and Marvin Arrington Jr. of District 5 all face no opposition to their re-election bids. School Board members Katie Reeves of District 2 and Kimberly Dove of District 6 were re-elected to their posts during the May 22 primary and nonpartisan elections.

Polls around Fulton will open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Nov. 6. Please note that if you did not vote early, you must vote at your assigned precinct. You can check your voter registration card or visit the Georgia Secretary of State My Voter Page to view your precinct location. You can also visit the Fulton County Department of Registration and Elections website to view sample ballots for the Nov. 6 races.

Photo identification is required when voting in Georgia. Valid forms of ID include driver's licenses, state ID cards, tribal ID cards, United States passports, employee ID cards, military ID cards, and voter ID cards issued by county registration offices.

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