The deadline to register to vote in the March 6 presidential preference primary is 5 p.m. Monday, Richmond County Board of Elections Executive Director Lynn Bailey reminded voters Wednesday.
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Prospective voters can fill out a registration form available online at www.augustaga.gov or get one from the Board of Elections office, 530 Greene St.
The completed paper application must be in the elections office by 5 p.m. Monday or postmarked Feb. 6, Bailey said.
More than half the residents of Augusta-Richmond County are registered to vote, but anyone uncertain of status can verify by visiting the Georgia Secretary of State's My Voter page at www.sos.ga.gov.
"My advice to anyone who hasn't voted in two to three years is to check," Bailey said.
The office has seen recent spikes in registration activity after the South Carolina and Florida primaries, she said. Turnout for the 2008 presidential primary was about 45 percent, Bailey said.
In the March 6 primary, voters will have a choice of either a Republican, Democrat or nonpartisan ballot. The Republican ballot includes a choice of nine contenders – Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, Jon Huntsman, Gary Johnson, Ron Paul, Rick Perry, Buddy Roemer, Mitt Romney or Rick Santorum – for the Republican nomination to run against Democratic incumbent Barack Obama for president.
On Super Tuesday, Richmond County voters also will decide two referenda, questions that appear on all three ballots.
The questions include whether Sunday retail sales of beer, wine and spirits should be allowed in consolidated Augusta-Richmond County. The measure, if approved, could make Sunday alcohol sales possible by permitted retailers as soon as April 1.
The second question is whether Richmond County Board of Education can continue to levy a 1 percent sales tax for capital improvements.
The education sales tax collections up for approval would be levied for the next five years and cannot exceed $225 million, according to the referendum.
It also would authorize the school board to issue up to $142 million in general obligation debt to finance the unspecified construction and other capital improvement projects in advance of sales tax collections.
I thought it practical to put splost questions on the ballot. It would cost another $60 to70,000 bucks to open polls for splost and noone would show up.
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