Voter Registration Deadline Approaching

The deadline to register to vote in next month’s E-SPLOST renewal special election in Stephens County is fast approaching.

Anyone who is not registered to vote that wishes to register in time to vote in the E-SPLOST election next month must register to vote by the end of the day on Tuesday, February 21.

Stephens County Registrar Bill Cochran said there are several ways people can register to vote.

“They can come into the office and we will get them registered in a very short time,” said Cochran. “They can go online and get an application and fill it out and send it in or they can register online on the online voter registration web site for the state of Georgia.”

The Stephens County Registrar’s Office is located in the Stephens County Courthouse Annex on Tugalo Street in downtown Toccoa, while the online voter registration is at the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office website at www.sos.ga.gov.

Meanwhile, Cochran said that February 21 is also the first day that his office will send out paper, mail-in absentee ballots to those that have requested them.

He reminds people wanting a paper, mail-in absentee ballot to get their requests for those in now.

“We do want to urge everyone that wants to participate in this election as an absentee, mail-in ballot voter to get that application in so we can process it and get them a paper ballot in the mail after the 21st,” said Cochran. “Every year, we need an application completed.”

It should be noted that those who filled out an application last year for a paper, mail-in absentee ballot must fill out a new application for this election as those applications do not roll over from one calendar year to the next.

As for those who want to vote early in person, Cochran said early voting will get started on February 27.

“Early voting starts at the Registrar’s Office on the 27th at 8 a.m.,” said Cochran. “We will be here from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.”

There will be no Saturday vote since this is not a federal election, said Cochran.

Election Day itself is March 21 at the Stephens County Senior Center, off of Rose Lane in Toccoa.

Voters in Stephens County are heading to the polls to determine whether to renew the one-cent Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax for Education.

Stephens County school system officials are proposing that a newly renewed E-SPLOST, if approved by voters, focus on maintenance needs throughout the school system.

For more information on voting, call the Stephens County Registrar’s Office at 706-886-8954.