Early voting starts in Albany, statewide on Monday

ALBANY – The names David Binkley, Doug Burgum, Perry Johnson and David Stuckenburg likely don’t ring a bell for many voters. While they’re among the 11 candidates who will be on the state’s Republican primary ballot, most voters will probably skip their names while weighing in on the election..

When early voting begins on Monday ahead of the March 12 election primaries, only two active candidates remain in that race: Nikki Haley, whose name is about halfway down, and Donald Trump, whose name appears at the bottom in the alphabetical list.

Most of those candidates never appeared in a single debate and have quit the race or suspended their campaigns.

On the Democratic side, only President Joe Biden and Dean Phillips, a Minnesota congressman, are still active, although Marianne Williamson’s name also will appear on the ballot.

Georgia requires that all of the names appear on the ballot, Dougherty County Elections Supervisor Ginger Nickerson said.

In Dougherty County, early voting hours will be 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday at the 125 Pine Ave. RiverFront Resource Center. State-mandated weekend voting days are Feb. 24 and March 2.

The early voting site in Lee County is at the Elections & Registration Office at 102 Starksville Ave. N. and will be open each weekday from 8:15 a.m.-5 p.m.

In addition, Lee voters will have two opportunities to cast ballots at locations outside the Elections office.

“We’re doing our pop-up locations again,” Lee County Elections Supervisor Veronica Johnson said. “They’ve been very well-received. It gives voters an opportunity to vote after work hours. It’s worked out well in the past when we’ve had them.”

The pop-up voting dates are Feb. 28 from 2-7 p.m. at the Bindery conference room at the Oakland Library and Feb. 29 from 2-7 p.m. at the Redbone Fire Station.

File Photo: Alan MauldinAlanMauldin[email protected]