January 20, 2022
By: Dwayne Page
Interested in voting in the upcoming local primary elections? The DeKalb County Election office has announced the last day to register to vote in either the May 3 DeKalb Republican or Democratic Primary is April 4, 2022.
“It’s also a good idea to make sure your registration is up to date with our office,” said Dennis Stanley, Administrator of Elections. “While verifying candidate petitions recently I noticed there are voters who signed the petitions with an address that is not the same as we have on file. Updating the address now will prevent a delay when a voter arrives at the polls to vote.”
In addition, Stanley reminded voters the May elections are “Party Primary” elections. A primary election is an election held for a political party allowing voters of that party to select a nominee that will appear on the general ballot in August.
When voting in a primary election, the voter must choose a Republican or Democratic ballot. Only the candidates representing that party will be listed on their ballot.
“The law does not allow you to vote in two different primaries during the same election. In other words, in the May Primary, you cannot vote for a Republican candidate in one county office and then vote for a Democrat candidate for a different office,” Stanley said. “When the winners of the primary join the independent candidates on the August general ballot, the voter will then have the choice to vote across party lines for local county offices.”
The qualifying deadline for the May primaries is NOON February 17th.
“We have issued over 50 petitions thus far and less than 20 have been returned to be checked and verified,” Stanley said. “Candidates should keep in mind the deadline to return their petitions is less than a month away.”
Voters or candidates seeking more information should contact the election office at 615-597-4146.