Paulding residents have just a few more weeks to register to vote in the Nov. 6 general election.

Georgia’s voter registration deadline for this year’s general election is Oct. 8. While Paulding residents are able print a voter registration application from Paulding County Elections & Voter Registration’s website or the Secretary of State’s website (we’ve attached a copy of the application to this article), most locals will register to vote through the Department of Driver Services, says Deidre Holden, supervisor of the county’s elections office.

Holden said the county’s registered voter count stood at 84,132 at the beginning of this month. She says it’s likely that number will increase by about 2,000 right before the Nov. 6 election. “You normally see an increase because everyone gets so excited to vote for their candidate, so they try to encourage others to vote,” she adds. For those who have not yet registered, Holden says she hopes they will realize the importance of their ability to vote.

“I would remind them that their right to vote is very precious and that it should not be taken for granted. I would remind them of the lives that have been sacrificed for us to be able to have this right,” she said. “Their vote is their voice.

“Everyone wants to complain, but no one wants to get out and vote. Voting has been made so easy and convenient for everyone. There is no excuse for anyone not to vote.”

Early voting for the general election runs Oct. 15 through Nov. 2, with voting taking place each weekday at the county elections office. The advance voting period will be held Oct. 29 through Nov. 2, with voting that week held at the elections office and three satellite locations. All county voting precincts will be open on Nov. 6.

Paulding voters decided many races during the July 31 primary, while a few needed a runoff to be settled. But two local races that some Paulding voters will weigh in on have undergone changes since the primary.

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Qualifying ended Friday for the race to determine the next state senator for District 30, which covers a southern portion of Paulding County, most of Carroll County and a western portion of Douglas County. Four men will be in the special election to replace on the ballot Bill Hamrick, the Republican who represented the district and was tapped by Gov. Nathan Deal to serve as superior court judge—Mike Dugan, Bill Hembree, James Naughton and Glenn Richardson.

The four will square off in a special election on Nov. 6, with a runoff, if needed, set for Dec. 4. The winning Republican will move on to face James Camp, a Libertarian, in a Jan. 8 special election to ultimately determine the district’s next senator.

And voters in House District 67 recently learned that Paulding resident Micah Gravley will replace Hembree on the ballot after the latter’s resignation from the State House seat to seek the GOP nomination for the District 30 Senate seat.

Gravley will face Leigh Mcmutry, a Democrat from Winston, in the Nov. 6 general election. Hembree and Mcmutry were unopposed in the July primary.

Dallas-Hiram Patch will be bringing you more election coverage in the weeks leading up to the general election.

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