The time has come and the deadline is 7 p.m. EST to get to one of seven polling places in Polk County and cast your vote for President, the Congressional Race in the 14th District, and statewide ballot questions put forth by the legislature to the electorate.

Check out information you’ll need for precinct locations in Polk County here.

Polls open at 7 a.m. and remain open for 12 hours for voters to cast their ballot in the General Election in 2024. Already historic turnout in early voting has been reported locally, statewide and around the nation.

Polk County ended early voting with 14,924 ballots cast over a three week period (including mail-in absentee ballots) out of 28,752 total voters registered locally.

That was 51% of the total electorate.

More than 4 million turned out in Georgia before the Nov. 1 deadline, and at least 76 million have already cast a ballot nationwide.

Local voters are deciding two races on the Nov. 5 ballot: The Presidential race between Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz for the Democratic Party, and former President Donald Trump and Sen. J.D. Vance for the Republican ticket.

The 14th District Congressional race is also being decided between incumbent GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Democratic challenger Gen. Shawn Green (Ret.)

The only other items being decided by voters during today’s vote are three ballot questions put forth by the legislature for the electorate to determine the path forward.

Polk County’s remaining races were either decided with no contenders qualifying against incumbents, or during the primaries back in May and later in June.

The County Commission will be getting two new members: Michael Gravett is taking over the 1st District seat set to be vacated by Jordan Hubbard at year’s end following Gravett’s primary run-off win and John Paschal defeated Ray Carter in the run-off as well. Chuck Thaxton will remain in the 2nd District County Commission seat after facing no challengers in qualifying earlier this year.

The school board has three new members joining in January after primary voters determined the races. Paul “Drew” Williams Jr., Jeff Hulsey and Rita Carter will be taking over seats in 2025 after Williams and Hulsey won primaries outright for Rockmart-area seats, and Carter qualified without opposition for a Cedartown-area seat.

Other uncontested seats on the ballot this year included a new Tallapoosa Circuit District Attorney (Jaeson Smith,) a Sheriff heading into his fourth term in office (Johnny Moats,) a second term for the Tax Commissioner (Amanda Lindsey,) a return for a new term for Superior Court Clerk Stacie Baines, and Judges for Magistrate Court, Probate Court and Superior Court all qualified without opposition on the primary or general election ballots back in March.

Ballot questions include a question over providing a local option homestead property tax exemption and allowing for a county, municipal or school system to opt out of the exemption. A second calls for creation of a Georgia Tax Court, and a third increasing the personal property tax exemption to $20,000.

Check back in tonight for an update for tallies from all the precincts and the results of the 2024 election locally, statewide and nationally.