CAN member organizations are sponsoring a CANDIDATES FAIR on Monday, July 9, 7-9pm in the Hellenic Community Center on Clairmont Road.  THIS ELECTION WILL DECIDE A LOT OF THINGS.  It is the only time for these Ballot Questions and for the election of Board of Education members and Judges.  Many County level offices have candidates running only in one party; there could be only one name on November ballots. 

This Candidates' Fair is designed to give voters access to a lot of candidates in one convenient location and in a way that allows them to talk to just the candidates they want to talk to. 

A flyer for the event is attached in both Word and PDF formats.  Please circulate and post it widely wherever you have the opportunity. 
Please let your residents/neighbors know about this useful event.

==========================  Additional general info about the Elections  (partisan primaries, non-partisan elections with ballot questions)

The ELECTION DATE is July 31, 2012.  The deadline for Voter Registration for this election (and for its Runoff on Aug 21)  is July 2.
   
Included on the July 31 ballots for voters in central DeKalb are the following. 

• PRIMARY ELECTION For Partisan Offices (Rep & Dem parties only; voter must select a party to vote on these offices)
  
  • Federal: Congress
  • State: Senate, House, DeKalb District Attorney (yes, DA is a state level office)
  • County: CEO, County Commissioners (Districts 1 & 6), Tax Commissioner, Clerk of Superior Court, Sheriff, Solicitor, Chief Magistrate
• ELECTION for NON-PARTISAN Offices
  
  • Judges (many): Georgia Supreme Court, Georgia Court of Appeals, Superior Court, Probate Court, State Court
    
  • Board of Education (districts 2, 4, 8)
• BALLOT QUESTIONS (NON-PARTISAN)
  
  • Transportation SPLOST Referendum
  • Telecommunication Tower Nonbinding Advisory Referendum
  • City of Brookhaven Incorporation Referendum (appears ONLY on ballots within the proposed Brookhaven area)

In Georgia, every voter is essentially an independent voter because we are not required to specify a party when we REGISTER to vote.  The partisan Primary elections select the party's candidates for the November ballot; voters can vote in one primary or the other, NOT BOTH.   However, everyone gets to vote on the Non-Partisan items on the ballot.  If a voter declines to choose a party for the Primary elections, he/she can vote only on the Non-Partisan items on the ballot.  If there is a Runoff election (pretty much certain this year), a voter CANNOT SWITCH parties for the Runoff but must remain in the one he/she voted in the main election.  A voter who did not vote in the main election can choose a party in the runoff.

EARLY VOTING begins July 9 only at 4380 Memorial Drive, Suite 300, Decatur  (see also http://web.co.dekalb.ga.us/Voter/pdf/GPAdvanceVotingSitesTimes.pdf)
     On July 23, five additional Early Voting locations will open (note that this list has changed since previous elections):

•     Tucker Recreation Center (4898 LaVista Rd, Tucker)
•     Chamblee City Hall (5468 Peachtree Rd, Chamblee)
•     Clark-Harrison Bldg (330 W Ponce de Leon, Decatur)
•     Community Action Center (4522 Flat Shoals Pkwy, Decatur)
•     New Bethel A.M.E. Church (8350 Rockbridge Rd, Lithonia)

Further information on this election and on voter registration, including a look-up of a voter's voting precinct, an individual's districts (NEW -- many changes this year), NEW official district maps, absentee ballot applications, and a host of other information,  go to http://www.dekalbvotes.com or telephone (404) 298-4020

NOTE: Currently, when you click the "Find My Poll Location" item on that website, the following message appears:

Poll Location & Elected Representatives
 
The conversion to the new districts resulting from the 2010 census lines has been completed except for the Board of Education districts, which have not been pre-cleared by the Department of Justice as required by the Voting Rights Act. To determine your congressional, senate and state representative districts, you may access the Secretary of State's MVP page at http://sos.ga.gov/MVP2/logon.aspx To determine your DeKalb County commission district, please contact our office at Voterreg@dekalbcountyga.gov or via phone at 404-298-4020.