Monday, Oct. 5, is Georgia's deadline for new or recently relocated voters to register or update their address or other information for the Nov. 3 general election. Statewide, ballots feature one U.S. Senate race and contests for state offices from governor on down to two Public Service Commission seats, plus three proposed state amendments.
At the congressional district level, Republican incumbent 12th District U.S. Rep. Rick W. Allen faces a challenge from Democratic primary nominee Ceretta Smith. Locally, in Bulloch County Board of Commissioners District 1, Democratic incumbent Commissioner Anthony D. Simmons faces a challenge from Republican primary nominee Spencer Johnson for Seat 1-B.
Additionally, a Statesboro city special election is being held in concurrence with the county and state election, but the nonpartisan city race will appear only on ballots of voters who reside in Statesboro Council District 2. Loletta Donaldson-Elliott, Maleek Jones and Kathleen Keehner are all first-time candidates vying for the vacant, District 2 council seat.
Of course, voters who have already taken part in an election in Bulloch County this year — such as the May primary — and haven't moved are already registered voters, and those who voted here in the last few years would still be registered. Voters can check their registration status online at the state My Voter Page by entering their first initial, last name, county and date of birth.
"I would always check, definitely. …," said Bulloch County Election Supervisor Shontay Jones. "You would be surprised how many people get registered while renewing or retaining their driver's license and never know that they're registered."
But anyone who has moved or had a name change, even since the May primary or its June runoff, but has not yet updated the information should do so to make sure they are registered under their current name and address, she said.
The place to register or update registration in person in Bulloch County is the Bulloch County Board of Elections and Registration Office, in the County Annex at 113 North Main St., Suite 201, Statesboro. Its phone number is (912) 764-6502; email addresses elections@bullochcounty.net and voterregistrar@bullochcounty.net.
"But also, if it's not as convenient to get here and a person has a Georgia driver's license and access to the internet, they can always register online, just like you can change your voter information from within your My Voter Page," Jones said. "You can also change or update your information through your My Voter Page if you're currently registered in Bulloch County, or in another county and need to be transferred here."
Early voting Oct. 13–30
That County Annex will also be the longest-available early voting location — but not the only location — for Bulloch County residents in this general election.
The Elections and Registration Office, again, in the annex at 113 North Main St., Suite 201, will again be open for all 16 days of advanced in-person voting, beginning Tuesday, Oct. 13, through Friday, Oct. 16, from 8 a.m.–5 p.m. and repeating during those hours Monday–Friday through Oct. 30, plus from 9 a.m.–5 p.m. on two Saturdays, Oct. 17 and Oct. 24.
New Brooklet site
However, two other locations will be open for early voting on a shorter number of weekdays prior to the election.
New this season, Brooklet City Hall, 104 Church St. in Brooklet, will be staffed for early voting in the county and state election in the final five days, Monday–Friday, Oct. 26–30, also from 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
"This will be the first time, to my knowledge, that we'll be conducting early voting outside the city limits of Statesboro," Jones said.
Local political party leaders and others in the community had suggested a need for new "satellite" locations, she said, especially since a previous backup site in downtown Statesboro, the Honey Bowen Building, ceased to be available several years ago.
Just as is true of the County Annex, the Brooklet site will be open to any Bulloch County registered voters, since early voting locations are not tied to traditional Election Day precincts.
"We're just as excited to bring early voting to Brooklet as that area is growing as well, and hopefully that will be successful and it won't be the last election that we'll conduct it there," Jones said.
GS 3-day site
But before that, a room on the Georgia Southern University campus, in the Russell Union building at 85 Georgia Ave., will be open for advanced in-person voting during three days only, Tuesday–Thursday, Oct. 20–22, from 8 a.m.–5 p.m. This on-campus location has been provided at general elections in some gubernatorial election years (such as 2026) and presidential election years (such as 2020) for more than a decade.
It is meant to be convenient not only for students but also GS faculty and staff members and others who work in the campus area and are registered to vote in Bulloch County, Jones said.
Absentees by mail
In addition to being the last day to register, Monday, Oct. 5, is also the first day that the local elections office staff will be mailing out absentee ballots to people who have requested them. The deadline to apply for an absentee ballot is Oct. 23, and the ballot can be mailed to the address where the voter is currently registered to vote in Bulloch County, to an address outside of Bulloch County, or the alternate in-county address of a physically disabled voter.
Absentee ballots voted and returned to the elections office by the close of polls on Election Day, Nov. 3, can be counted.
Election Day hours
For voters who do not vote early or absentee, all 16 of the county's traditional, Election Day precincts will be open for their assigned voters from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. on Nov. 3. Voters in Precinct 11, otherwise known as "Statesboro Precinct," are reminded that its voting site has been moved to the Jones-Love Building at Luetta Moore Park, 585 Martin Luther King Drive. In past election cycles that precinct voted at the William James Educational Complex, which is no longer available for that purpose.
Voters can access their location-specific sample ballot at the state My Voter Page. Jones also has also prepared an information sheet containing a generic sample ballot for Bulloch County and plans to have it published in two printed editions of the Statesboro Herald before and during the early voting period.