Buckhead Guide 2020: Deadlines, Candidates, How To Vote

BUCKHEAD, GA — The Nov. 3 election is quickly approaching in Buckhead, and voters have already begun submitting absentee ballots through early voting locations, mail and drop boxes. This year, Atlanta voters will decide on races for president, U.S. House and U.S. Senate as well as state constitutional amendments.

Early Voting
Fulton County has 30 polling sites for early voting, which runs from Oct. 12 – 30.

Thanks to its ongoing partnership with the Atlanta Hawks, the State Farm Arena will once again serve as the county's mega polling site. Also known as the largest polling site in Georgia, the arena is one of the high profile locations.

Early voting for the Nov. 3 General Election begins Oct. 12 and ends Oct. 30. Voters can head to the early voting polling sites during the following days and times:

• Monday, Oct. 12 to Friday, Oct. 16: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Monday, Oct. 19 to Friday, Oct. 23: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Monday, Oct. 26 to Friday, Oct. 30: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Saturday Voting: Oct. 17 and 24 at 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Sunday Voting: Oct. 18 and 25 at 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

A list of all early voting locations can be found online.

Absentee Voting
A secure drop-off box is an option for returning absentee ballots for Buckhead voters during the early voting period. Secure drop boxes are a convenient option for voters to drop off absentee ballots, absentee ballot applications or voter registration forms. Boxes are available throughout Fulton County.

All absentee ballots must be received by the Fulton County Department of Registration and Elections by 7 p.m. on Election Day. Residents can return their absentee ballot by mail or in one of the Fulton County Absentee Ballot Drop Boxes. Absentee ballot may not be returned at a voter's polling place.

Ballot boxes can be found near Buckhead at:

Adams Park Library
2231 Campbellton Rd., SW
Atlanta, GA. 30311

Buckhead Library
269 Buckhead Avenue
Atlanta, GA 30305

Chastain Park
140 W Wieuca Rd NW
Atlanta, GA 30342

C.T. Martin Natatorium and Recreation Center
3201 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, SW
Atlanta, GA 30311

East Point Library
2757 Main Street
East Point, GA 30344

Etris Community Recreation
5285 Lakeside Dr.
Union City, GA 30291

Georgia International Convention Center
2000 Convention Center Concourse
College Park, GA 30337

Gladys S. Dennard Library at South Fulton
4055 Flat Shoals Road
Union City, GA 30291

High Museum of Art
1280 Peachtree Street, NE
Atlanta, GA 30309

Metropolitan Library
1332 Metropolitan Parkway
Atlanta, GA 30310

Northside Library
3295 Northside Pkwy
Atlanta, GA 30327

Northwest Branch at Scotts Crossing Library
2489 Perry Boulevard, NW
Atlanta, GA 30318

Ponce De Leon Library
980 Ponce De Leon Ave. NE
Atlanta, GA 30306

South Fulton Service Center
5600 Stonewall Tell Road
South Fulton, GA 30349

Southwest Arts Center
915 New Hope Road., SW
South Fulton, GA 30331

State Farm Arena
1 State Farm Drive
Atlanta, GA 30303

Welcome All Recreation Center
4255 Will Lee Road
South Fulton, GA 30349

Wolf Creek Library
3100 Enon Road, SW
Atlanta, GA 30331

Here's the full list of dropbox locations in Buckhead.

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.

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 Fulton County voters. Depending on what part of Fulton County you live in, you may be in the 5th, 6th, 11th or 13th congressional district.

Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger summarized the statewide referendum and two proposed constitutional amendments that will appear on the General Election ballot.

Georgians will have the opportunity to cast a "yes" or "no" vote on both proposed amendments and the referendum that the general assembly approved during its current term for voter consideration.

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 the voters, the act becomes effective on January 1, 2021, and applies to all tax years beginning on or after that date.

For more information, visit mvp.sos.ga.