Advance voting is now underway. Here's what Augusta area voters should know

Miguel Legoas, Augusta Chronicle
·4 min read

Advance voting began Monday, which means Georgia's general election is now underway, one that will determine who will take multiple local and state leadership positions, including governor. Here's what the Augusta area voters should know:

When and where is advance voting?

Richmond County early voting is underway only at the Augusta Municipal Building at 535 Telfair St. 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday through Oct. 28 and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22.

Starting Saturday, Oct. 29, advance voting will expand to the Henry Brigham Recreation Center at 2463 Golden Camp Rd., the Robert Howard Community Center at 103 Diamond Lakes Way, and the Warren Road Recreation Center at 300 Warren Rd. from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the following week 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday. Polls will also be open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 30.

Richmond County Board of Elections created this sticker in blue and red for early/advance voters in the November 2022 election.
Richmond County Board of Elections created this sticker in blue and red for early/advance voters in the November 2022 election.

As an incentive for Augustans to vote early, the Richmond County Board of Elections created a new stickers just for early voters. The board's executive director Travis Doss said they promote voting early because it can avoid long lines and other complications that come with Election Day.

Take a loo: Augusta's early voters getting exclusive stickers at the polls. Here's what to know.

Columbia County early voting is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday now through Friday, Nov. 4 at the county government complex at 610 Ronald Reagan Dr. in Evans and at Euchre Creek Library at 5907 Euchee Creek Dr. in Grovetown.

Advance voting polls will also be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22 and 29.

What local races are on the ballot?

Tederell "Chris" Johnson was appointed Richmond County tax commissioner in March.
Tederell "Chris" Johnson was appointed Richmond County tax commissioner in March.

Richmond County's Tax Commissioner was Steven Kendrick, until he resigned earlier this year to run for mayor. His seat was filled by Kendrick's deputy, Tederell "Chris" Johnson, but now there will be a special election to find someone to complete Kendrick's term. Johnson is defending his seat from Richmond County Sheriff's Office Finance Director Veronica Brown and accountant Sanford Loyd.

Also: Special election called to complete Steven Kendrick's tax commissioner term

Richmond County Board of Election has three seats up for grabs. The races are nonpartisan, and include:

  • District 2 Incumbent Charlie Hannah v. Larry Fryer and Yiet Knight.

  • District 7 Incumbent Charlie Walker v. Brittiany Broadwater.

  • District 9 Incumbent Venus Cain v. Christopher Mulliens.

School board candidates:  have big plans and goals to fix Richmond County Schools

Augustans will also vote on who will be the next Richmond County Soil & Water Conservation District Supervisor, incumbent Charles "Charlie" Byrd or Dan Scott, director of operations for Studio Farmer, a nonprofit job training organization.

The only seat up for grabs in Columbia County is their Soil & Water Conservation District Supervisor, which will either go to Bob Anderson or Beverly Dozier Hardaway.

Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) shakes hands with Republican candidate Herschel Walker prior to the Nexstar Georgia Senate Debate at District Live at Plant Riverside District in Savannah, Ga., on Friday, October 14, 2022.
Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) shakes hands with Republican candidate Herschel Walker prior to the Nexstar Georgia Senate Debate at District Live at Plant Riverside District in Savannah, Ga., on Friday, October 14, 2022.

What state leadership races are on the ballot?

The headliners for this year's ballot are the gubernatorial and U.S. Senate races, featuring Gov. Brian Kemp versus Democratic challenger Stacey Abrams and Sen. Raphael Warnock versus Republican challenger Herschel Walker.

Read more: Brian Kemp, Stacey Abrams take the stage for debate Monday night

Also: Few revelations, no major gaffes in Herschel Walker-Raphael Warnock U.S. Senate debate

Several other Georgia leaders are defending their seat, including Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger v. Democrat Bee Nguyen and Libertarian Ted Metz; Attorney General Chris Carr v. Democrat Jennifer "Jen" Jordan and Libertarian Martin Cowen; Commissioner of Insurance John King v. Democrat Janice Laws Robinson; State School Superintendent Richard Woods v. Democrat Alisha Thomas Searcy; U.S. House District 12 Representative Rick Allen v. Democrat Elizabeth "Liz" Johnson; and State District 22 Senator Harold Jones II v. Republican Andrew Danielson.

Seats with no defenders include lieutenant governor, which could be Republican Burt Jones, Democrat Charlie Bailey or Libertarian Ryan Graham; and, Commissioner of Labor, which could be Republican Bruce Thompson, Democrat William "Will" Boddie Jr., or Libertarian Emily Anderson.

State House of Representatives seats up for grabs include:

  • District 126 - Incumbent Gloria Frazier v. Republican challenger William Harris.

  • District 130 - Republican Dan Swenson v. Democrat Lynn Gladney.

When and where is Election Day?

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 8. Richmond County polling locations can be found at augustaga.gov and Columbia County polling locations can be found at columbiacountyga.gov.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Georgia advance voting now open, Augusta area local election info