Register to vote for Georgia primaries; absentee ballots begin mailing

AUGUSTA, Ga. - Monday is the last day to register to vote in Georgia’s nationally watched 2026 midterm primaries, contests that will, in some cases, at least narrow the field ahead of this fall’s elections.

Monday also marks the first day that absentee ballots will be mailed for the May 19, 2026, primary.

Four of Georgia’s top constitutional offices are wide open and being heavily contested by Republicans and Democrats in their respective primaries.

A June 16, 2026, runoff is virtually assured in the Democratic governor’s primary, but all bets are off in the GOP race, where billionaire Rick Jackson has shaken the state’s political universe in his challenge to Lt. Gov. Burt Jones’ once-presumptive gubernatorial nomination.

Also seeking the GOP governor’s nomination are Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Attorney General Chris Carr. Gov. Brian Kemp is term‑limited, and, along with Jones’ campaign for governor, those seats will be filled by new officeholders in November.

Keisha Lance Bottoms, Jason Esteves, Michael Thurmond and Geoff Duncan — along with several others — are all seeking to become Georgia’s first Democrat to be elected governor this century.

Governor (open; incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp is term limited)

• Attorney General Chris Carr (R)
• Clark Headrick Dean (R)
• Rick Jackson (R)
• Lt. Gov. Burt Jones (R)
• Gregg Kirkpatrick (R)
• Brad Raffensperger (R)
• Thomas Williams (R)
• Ken Yasger (R)
• Keisha Lance Bottoms (D)
• Olu Brown (D)
• Amanda Duffy (D)
• Geoff Duncan (D)
• Jason Esteves (D)
• State Rep. Derrick Jackson (D)
• Michael Thurmond (D)

Lieutenant governor (open; incumbent Burt Jones is running for governor)

• Josh McLaurin (D)
• State Sen. Nabilah Parkes
• Richard Wright (D)
• David Clark (R)
• State Sen. Greg Dolezal (R)
• Steve Gooch (R)
• John Flanders Kennedy (R)
• Brenda Lynn Nelson-Porter (R)
• Takosha Misheal Swan (R)
• Michael Blake Tillery (R)

Secretary of state (open; incumbent Brad Raffensperger is running for governor)

• Cam Thi Ashling (D)
• Adrian Consonery Jr. (D)
• Penny Brown Reynolds (D)
• Timothy Kyle Fleming (R)
• Vernon Jones (R)
• Kevin King (R)
• Edward Tecumseh Metz (R)
• Robert Gabriel Sterling (R)

Attorney general (open; incumbent Chris Carr is running for governor)

• William Stone Cowsert (R)
• Robert Brian Strickland (R)
• Herbert Adams (D)
• Tanya Miller (D)
• Bob Trammell (D)

Republicans will also nominate a candidate to challenge Democratic U.S. Senate incumbent Jon Ossoff in November.

U.S. Senate

• U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff (D) - incumbent
• U.S. Rep. Earl “Buddy” Carter (R)
• U.S. Rep. Mike Collins (R)
• John Francis Coyne III (R)
• Derek Dooley (R)
• Jonathan McColumn (R)

Richmond County ballot includes local, state and federal races

Richmond County voters will see a packed ballot this year with local, state and federal races, along with two tax questions.

Starting local, voters will see the mayor’s race, Augusta Commission seats for districts 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10, along with judge races on the ballot.

Mayor of Augusta

• Eric Gaines
• Garnett L. Johnson (incumbent)
• Steven B. Kendrick
• Lori Myles

Augusta Commission District 2

• Corey Johnson
• Stacy Pulliam (incumbent)

Augusta Commission District 4

• Alvin Mason
• Lonnie Wimberly (incumbent)

Augusta Commission District 6

• Tamika Bean
• Tony Lewis (incumbent)

Augusta Commission District 8

• Michael Cioffi
• Roger Garvin
• Evett Williams

Augusta Commission District 10

• Wayne Guilfoyle (incumbent)
• Ben Hasan

State Court Judge Pounds

• Ashanti Pounds (incumbent)

State Court Judge Walker

• Monique Walker (incumbent)

Chief Judge, Civil and Magistrate Court

• Carletta Sims Brown (incumbent)
• No matter which ballot voters pick, everyone will see two sales tax questions.

One is a half-percent sales tax designed to reduce property taxes. The other is a 1-percent sales tax that would raise up to $375 million.

Business leaders back SPLOST 9

Community and business leaders in Augusta gathered Monday to publicly back SPLOST 9, a proposed continuation of the 1‑cent sales tax, framing it as a key tool to keep the city growing without raising property taxes.

Leaders — including the heads of Destination Augusta, the Augusta Metro Chamber, Augusta Tomorrow and local business interests — emphasized that the $375 million plan would fund major priorities like public safety, infrastructure improvements and quality‑of‑life projects such as parks and community spaces.

The biggest pieces go to public safety and infrastructure. Public safety is about $108 million, including more than $81 million to renovate the Charles B. Webster Detention Center. Infrastructure is about $106 million, with money for road resurfacing and drainage work.

On the quality‑of‑life side, the list includes projects like the Riverwalk and boathouse reconstruction.

“There’s momentum in Augusta. Very strong momentum, and that’s where we need to keep moving forward,” said Bennish Brown, Destination Augusta president. “A place where business wants to be is a place where people wanna stay. Where people wanna stay is a place where people want to visit.”

Supporters called SPLOST 9 a way to keep investing in Augusta.

Columbia County races

In Columbia County, several races will appear on the ballot next month.

That includes former Grovetown Mayor Gary Jones, Alison Couch and Cambrey Wood for county commission chair.

Other races on the ballot this year include districts 1 and 4, and districts 2 and 3 for the Columbia County Board of Education.