Wednesday, October 4, 2000
|
Wednesday, October 4, 2000 |
| Tuesday is last
day to register for Nov. 7 vote
By DAVE HARMICK State and local officials want to remind you that Tuesday, Oct. 10 is the last day you can register and be eligible to vote in the Nov. 7 General Election. Registering has never been easier. "People can register at all libraries, at city halls, at our office and the Department of Public Safety," said Carolyn Combs, Fayette's chief registrar. And Georgia Secretary of State Cathy Cox said that her office is working to encourage thousands of unregistered Georgians to get on the voter roll before the deadline. Kroger is distributing voter registration forms in all 149 of its Georgia stores, she said. The postage paid, mail-in forms are one of the quickest and easiest ways to register, requiring answers to just a few questions and a signature. Kroger will make the forms available at the customer service desk. In selected stores, the firm also will distribute a Spanish registration guide for Spanish-speaking customers. Or visit the secretary of state's web site at www.sos.state.ga.us and complete an on-line form that can then be printed, signed and mailed to the state's Elections Division or to the Fayette County elections office. You can also register at any state driver's license testing facility, the Department of Family and Children Services office, or any military recruitment center. "Even as the size of Georgia's voter roll has expanded, there are still millions of eligible citizens who are not yet registered," Cox said. "Georgians face critically important choices in November, including selecting a president, a United States senator, 11 members of Congress, two public service Commissioners, numerous county and judicial offices and every member of the General Assembly." Locally, one state Senate seat will be on the ballot, along with a County Commission seat, a Board of Education seat and the clerk of Superior Court. Also, Fayetteville residents will decide a liquor question, and the Board of Education will have a bond issue for new schools on the ballot. Cox noted that throughout recent electoral history Georgia has ranked at or near the bottom in the percentage of eligible citizens who participate in elections. Nationally, voter turnout trends have shown a steady decline over the last several election cycles. Cox said that interest in the 2000 elections appears to be on the upswing. A recent voter registration drive at an Atlanta Braves game organized by her office registered 241 Georgians. A similar event earlier this summer registered only a handful of Braves fans. According to current U. S. Census Bureau projections, nearly 39 percent of Georgia's 5.9 million eligible citizens are still not on the active voter roll. As of Aug. 1, 3.6 million Georgians were registered. Fayette County usually has a higher percentage of its populace registered, said Combs. As of Sept. 1, 48,636 were registered. For those who will be out of town Nov. 7, absentee ballots are now available in the registrar's office, Combs said. You can vote in the office anytime before election day, or mail your ballot in. Friday, Nov. 3 is the last day the registrar's office can mail out absentee ballots, she added.
|
||