The deadline is approaching to register to vote in the July 20 primary election.

Voters will be asked to choose the next governor, lieutenant governor, their U.S. House representative and many more state and local offices.

Interim Hall County Elections Director Charlotte Sosebee said the high-profile races likely will bring a lot of first-time voters and inactive voters out of the woodwork to cast their ballots.

The deadline for registration is June 21.

“We have several applications we’ve been holding since the special election,” Sosebee said. “I would hope we will have more register.”
Registration applications are available at the Hall County Election Office, its website and many libraries. Applications also can be filled out when renewing a drivers license.

“You have to provide an ID of some kind if you’re registering to vote for the first time in Georgia,” Sosebee said.

Sosebee said people who don’t often vote but plan to go to the polls to vote in the primary should check to make sure their information is on record and everything is accurate.

“It’s best to just check and make sure you’re registered and check that we have the correct address,” Sosebee said. “Rather than on election day popping up at a precinct and their name’s not on that list.”

A change of name or address will affect your ability to vote.

A lot of offices are elected within a certain district, so where you live often determines which races you can vote in.

“It’s best to vote for who represents your area,” Sosebee said. “As well as going to the correct voting area.

“We’ll get people to come in and want to vote in a particular election and realize they’re not registered.”

Voters who have not voted in two general elections, which is normally a four-year period, will have their status changed from active to inactive.

After two more years of not voting, an inactive voter will be deleted from the system.

“Activity is important when it comes to voter registration,” Sosebee said. “You have to exercise your right to vote.”