• May 19 is final day to register to take part
• No Rockmart Early Voting location being utilized for upcoming vote
• Public Service Commission race contested in 2022 back on ballot

Another trip to the polls is coming up for local residents as voters are being asked to come out and determine a race held in 2022 that went to the courts, and is now back on the ballot.

The Public Service Commission seat is a statewide race, and Polk County is among those who will be opening up polling stations on June 17 to decide the outcome of the race – essentially a redo three years later.

Polk County Board of Elections officials are getting ready for the vote, but the first thing they’ll be doing ahead of the June election is to ensure that anyone who wants to participate and isn’t already registered has a chance to do so.

The deadline to register for the upcoming election and take part – if those wanting to participate aren’t already – is May 19.

Early voting in Polk County for the race and statewide begins on May 26 and continues through June 13. This time around, early voting will only be available at the Cedartown precinct at the Goodyear Civic Center at 108 Prior St., Cedartown.

Absentee ballots can be requested for the primary for either the Democratic or Republican ballot starting on May 13, and can be sought up until June 6. Those will begin going out on May 26, the first day available to the Board of Elections to send them in the mail. Please email dpearl@polkga.org or call the Polk County Elections Office at 770-749-2103 to request an application for an absentee ballot for the June Special Primary Election.

Saturday votes are scheduled for the Cedartown Precinct on May 31 and June 7.

Early voting will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays

The balloting for this round of voting for the Public Service Commission is a primary vote, meaning that a Democratic and Republican ballot will be available for two of the PSC seats: District 2 and District 3.

The primaries include District 2 Democrat Alicia Johnson, and GOP candidates Tim Echols and Lee Muns.

District 3’s Democratic primary is a four-way contested race including Daniel Blackmon, Peter Hubbard, Robert Jones and Keisha Sean Waites.

The GOP is only putting forth Fitz Johnson for the District 3 primary.

Voters will decide on the primaries after the 2022 PSC vote was canceled after an August 5 ruling by the U.S. District Court that the procedures for the at-large races previously held violated the Voting Rights Act.

Now the races are back on the ballot, the November 4 election this year will be a statewide race.

If needed, a primary run-off will be held on July 15.