In-person early voting begins next week for the General Primary Election and Nonpartisan General Election set for May 19.
There will be three weeks of in-person early voting running weekdays between Monday, April 27, and Friday, May 15. Early voting will also include two weekend voting opportunities: Saturday, May 2, and Saturday, May 9. The lines are usually shorter on Saturdays.
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All in-person early voting will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. inside the Union County Voting Center at 33 Roscoe Collins Drive, located across from Union County High School off the Glenn Gooch Bypass.
As this is a primary election, residents will need to request either a Republican or Democratic ballot, which will include selections for the Nonpartisan General Election. Voters may also request a ballot for the Nonpartisan General Election only.
Just three local seats are up for grabs in 2026, all of them on the Union County Board of Education, specifically Districts 2, 4 and 5 that are currently held by Tony Hunter, Jason McCarter and Patrick White, respectively.
Six total candidates – all Republicans – qualified for the three School Board positions, meaning whoever wins their primary next month will not face a Democratic opponent in November. This will pave the way for General Election results to be known this spring.
District 2 is the only contested School Board race, with four qualified candidates, including Incumbent Hunter, who is facing challenges from fellow qualifiers Holly Scarlett Jones, Naveela Philbeck and John Davis.
Both District 4 and District 5 featured lone qualifiers in Jonathan Alan Cook and Incumbent White, respectively.
There are plenty of other offices up for election in May, at the federal level but particularly at the state level, including Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, State School Superintendent, Georgia General Assembly, multiple levels of judgeship, and more.
For a full breakdown of candidates and offices, visit https://sos.ga.gov/candidate-qualifying-elected-office.
Voters who decide to wait until Election Day to cast their ballots will need to head to their predetermined voting precincts between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 19.
Union County has 11 voting precincts: Blairsville, Jones Creek, Choestoe, Owltown, Coosa, Pat Colwell, Dooley, Suches, Gum Log, Trackrock and Ivy Log.
As a reminder, the Blairsville Precinct has permanently changed to the Multipurpose Gym located right next door to the Voting Center, as has the Trackrock Precinct, which officials moved this year after the original polling location was deemed unsafe due to a dilapidated facility.
There are still 11 precincts, but two of them having moved to the same location means there are now just 10 polling places.
“In compliance with O.C.G.A. 21-2-265, notice of this change was published in the North Georgia News, and special precinct cards have been mailed to all affected voters,” Voting Registration Director Krystal Berry said. “We have also posted this information on our website and Facebook page.
“Additionally, signage at the old location will direct voters to the new site. We have held the required public meetings and notified both the Secretary of State’s Office and the State Election Board.
“This is a meticulous process, and we are confident that we have met all necessary requirements. We look forward to seeing voters at the new location and remain committed to providing excellent service to the citizens of Union County.”
For people voting absentee-by-mail, ballots may be requested inside the Voting Center now through Friday, May 8. Absentee ballot applications can be returned by mail, fax, as an email attachment, or in person at the Voting Center.
Absentee ballots began mailing this week. They can be returned using the official Voting Center drop box during early voting hours; mailed back in plenty of time to be counted after polls close on Election Day; or dropped off at the Voting Center through 7 p.m. Election Day.
The deadline to register to vote in this election was Monday, April 20. As of Friday, Union County had 23,396 total registered voters, consisting of 21,642 active and 1,754 inactive voters.
Residents may visit https://mvp.sos.ga.gov for mail-in application and ballot status, poll location, registration information on file with the county, sample ballots for upcoming elections, provisional ballot status and more.
People with questions are asked to call the Union County Board of Registrar’s Office at 706-439-6016.
Looking ahead, the 2026 General Election in November will put other important matters before Union County voters.
Expected to appear on ballots this fall are the SPLOST continuation vote as well as the question of whether residents want a multi-member board of commissioners instead of a sole commissioner style of county government.
