Georgia voters are gearing up for the upcoming party primary races and nonpartisan judicial elections, with three weeks of early in-person voting beginning Monday ahead of the May 21 election. This election will see parties choosing their nominees for congressional and state legislative seats, as well as for local races such as sheriffs, district attorneys, and county commissioners. The May 21 election will also serve as the general election for judicial candidates, who run on a nonpartisan basis. Mail-in ballots were sent out last week to those who had requested them, and the deadline to request a mail ballot is May 10. Runoffs will be held on June 18 for races where candidates do not win a majority in May.
One of the key races in the upcoming election is the state supreme court race between incumbent Justice Andrew Pinson and challenger John Barrow. In the 3rd Congressional District, incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Drew Ferguson will be stepping down, leading to a highly contested race with six Republicans seeking the nomination to succeed him. Former President Donald Trump has endorsed his onetime aide Brian Jack for the seat, while former state Senators Mike Crane and Mike Dugan, former state Rep. Philip Singleton, Jim Bennett, and Ray Blair are also vying for the nomination. On the Democratic side, Val Almonord and Maura Keller are seeking their party’s nomination in the heavily GOP district.
The judicial candidates participating in the May 21 general election run without party labels. Incumbent Justice Andrew Pinson, who was appointed to the court by Gov. Brian Kemp in 2022, is seeking a six-year term and is being challenged by John Barrow, a former Democratic congressman. Other justices like Michael Boggs, John Ellington, and Nels Peterson are unopposed, while six judges on the Georgia Court of Appeals are also unopposed. Jeff Davis and Tabitha Ponder are contending for an open seat on the intermediate court of appeal.
In other congressional races, incumbent U.S. Reps. Lucy McBath and David Scott, both Democrats, are facing challengers from their own party in redrawn districts. Scott faces six challengers in the 13th District, including former East Point City Council member Karen René, former South Fulton City Council member Mark Baker, and attorney Brian Johnson. U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath has moved to the 6th District and is being challenged by fellow Democrats Mandisha Thomas and Jerica Richardson. Local races are also heating up, with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis facing attorney Christian Wise Smith in the Democratic primary, and Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee being challenged by lawyer Robert Patillo.
As the election approaches, the question of voter turnout looms. While 5 million or more Georgians could vote in the presidential election in November, history suggests that fewer people will participate in the primary. In 2016, when the state primaries did not coincide with the presidential primary, only one-fifth as many people voted in May as in the November general election. With fewer hotly contested congressional primaries, voter turnout may be driven by races for county offices in some parts of Georgia.
