The AJC’s 2026 Voter Guide keeps you informed about the latest races, candidates and election news across the state. We breakdown where candidates stand on key issues and provide essential voting information. Your vote matters, and we’re here to help you make it count.
To confirm your voter registration status, find out where to vote or view sample ballots, go to the Georgia secretary of state’s My Voter Page.
| Key Dates / Information | |
|---|---|
| Election Day | Nov. 3 |
| Last day to register to vote | Oct. 5 |
| Last day to request absentee ballot | Oct. 23 |
| Advance in-person voting | Oct. 13 - 30 |
| Poll hours | Election Day polling places are open 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Early voting polling hours vary by county. |
Road to November: Who’s on the ballot?
U.S. Senate
U.S. Rep. Mike Collins (Republican)
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Collins is running a MAGA-tinged campaign bolstered by the endorsement of President Donald Trump.
The Jackson native, whose father served in Congress for more than a decade, owns and operates a family-founded Middle Georgia trucking business.
Elected to the U.S. House in 2022, Collins has cultivated a brash and combative online presence, pushing inflammatory and sometimes false claims on social media that his detractors have called racist, antisemitic or xenophobic. Supporters see him as a fighter who is unbothered by media criticism.
He’s a staunch supporter of Trump’s agenda, especially when it comes to immigration. Collins sponsored the Laken Riley Act, named for the nursing student murdered while jogging on the University of Georgia campus. The law, which even won some Democratic votes, gives immigration agencies broader authority to detain immigrants who are in the country illegally and accused of a crime.
Collins has been embroiled in a House ethics inquiry involving allegations that his then-Chief of Staff Brandon Phillips misused taxpayer funds by being paid for unofficial or unauthorized purposes and hiring his girlfriend for a no-show internship. Collins, who has denied any wrongdoing, stood by Phillips before cutting ties in May after he made a crude social media post.
See where Collins stands on the issues
U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff (Democrat — Incumbent)
Credit: Sarah Peacock
Credit: Sarah Peacock
Ossoff first attracted national attention when he came close to flipping Georgia’s 6th Congressional District in a 2017 special election.
A documentary filmmaker who interned for the U.S. Rep. John Lewis and worked as a legislative aide for U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, Ossoff was a virtual unknown when he entered a special election for the U.S. House race in the north Atlanta suburbs.
But the vote was seen as an early referendum on Trump’s first term and quickly amassed national attention and money. Ossoff capitalized on both when he launched his 2020 bid to unseat Republican U.S. Sen. David Perdue.
Ossoff narrowly defeated Perdue in a 2021 runoff, becoming the first Jewish senator from Georgia and the chamber’s youngest member.
In the Senate, Ossoff has built a reputation as an anti-corruption crusader and master at delivering punchy, viral attacks on Trump and Republicans. Ossoff was chair of the Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations and has continued to use his office to probe issues such as allegations of abuse at immigration detention facilities and the problems faced by military families living in privatized housing.
See where Ossoff stands on the issues
Georgia governor
Keisha Lance Bottoms (Democrat)
Credit: Sarah Peacock
Credit: Sarah Peacock
Bottoms’ run for governor surprised some, who thought her political career ended when she chose not to seek a second term as Atlanta mayor in 2021.
An attorney and former magistrate judge, Bottoms represented a large portion of southwest Atlanta on the City Council for two terms.
During part of that time, she was also executive director of Atlanta Fulton County Recreation Authority, where she helped broker the $30 million sale of Turner Field to Georgia State University and a private development group.
Critics said the dual roles posed a conflict of interest because of business relationships between the city and the authority. She recused herself from City Council votes related to the authority.
Bottoms was elected mayor in 2017 after two terms on the City Council. Her tenure was marked by the COVID-19 pandemic and a rise in violent crime in the city. She also feuded with Republican Gov. Brian Kemp.
After leaving City Hall, Bottoms worked as a senior White House adviser to President Joe Biden, long a close ally.
See where Bottoms stands on the issues
Rick Jackson (Republican)
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Jackson’s foster care-to-billionaire biography has been central to his campaign.
Raised by a mother who he said struggled with alcoholism, he moved through five foster homes and 13 schools as a child and dropped out of college because of financial problems.
In 2000, he founded Jackson Healthcare, building the Alpharetta-based company into a healthcare staffing and technology powerhouse with more than 20 subsidiaries.
Subsidiaries of the company have received more than $1 billion in payments by state agencies. Some of them were no-bid contracts during the COVID-19 pandemic. If elected, Jackson said he would “work to responsibly unwind” those business dealings.
He poured more than $108 million of his own money into the GOP primary and is spending at least $87 million more in the general election campaign.
Jackson has never run for office, but he has been a political player for years. He, his family, companies and employees gave roughly $1 million to candidates and their PACS, mostly Republicans. And he has lobbied at the state Capitol to press for changes to the foster care system. He’s also donated $2 million to Trump.
See where Jackson stands on the issues
Lieutenant governor
State Sen. Greg Dolezal (Republican)
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Dolezal has represented a large swath of Forsyth County for four terms in the state Senate. He is a businessman and former ministry leader from Cumming.
In the crowded Republican primary for lieutenant governor, Dolezal grabbed headlines with an AI-generated ad depicting Muslims attacking white Georgians and urging voters to keep the state “sharia free.”
Dolezal has highlighted his allegiance to Trump, in particular his push to sanction Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis for attempting to prosecute the president.
State Sen. Josh McLaurin (Democrat)
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
McLaurin, a lawyer from Sandy Springs, has represented north Fulton County in the Georgia General Assembly for nearly eight years, first as a House member and later as a senator.
He has been a vocal critic of Trump, often turning to humor to mock the president and his supporters.
McLaurin was roommates with now-Vice President JD Vance when the two attended Yale Law School and publicly shared a screenshot of a 2016 text from Vance in which the Ohio Republican wondered if Trump was “America’s Hitler.”
Here’s a look at the candidates: Dolezal and McLaurin
Secretary of state
State Rep. Tim Fleming (Republican)
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Fleming, a small-business owner from Covington, is the chair of a House committee tasked with proposing changes to election laws.
The state legislator formerly worked as Kemp’s chief of staff before running for the state House in 2022. He also held senior positions in the secretary of state’s office when Kemp held that role.
Fleming pledges to aid in deporting immigrants who are living in the country illegally and who attempt to vote in Georgia., He also wants to expedite professional licensing.
Penny Brown Reynolds (Democrat)
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Reynolds, of Atlanta, is a former Fulton County State Court judge and onetime host of the reality TV show “Family Court with Judge Penny.”
She worked in the Biden administration as a senior official in the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
If elected, Reynolds says she aims to safeguard vulnerable communities from fraud, modernize professional licensing, protect voting rights and restore trust in elections.
Attorney general
State Rep. Tanya Miller (Democrat)
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Miller has been in the state House of Representatives since January 2023, representing the Atlanta-area District 62. She is the minority caucus chair and sits on the House Rules, Ethics, Code revision and Audits committees.
She’s a former federal and Fulton County prosecutor whose private legal practice focuses on wrongful death, personal injury, complex criminal defense and civil rights litigation.
If elected, Miller says she’ll target violent criminal networks, human trafficking rings, and people who traffic illegal guns and drugs such as fentanyl. She also says she’ll support more resources for local police, prioritize prosecuting crimes against children, and promote “evidence-based policies that reduce recidivism and make our communities safer in the long run.”
State Sen. Brian Strickland (Republican)
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Strickland spent three terms in the Georgia House of Representatives before his election to state the Senate District 42 seat in 2018. He’s chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and sits on the Appropriations, Banking, Ethics and other committees. Strickland practices law in McDonough.
If elected, Strickland says his priorities will include expanding gang and drug task forces to coordinate statewide crackdowns on violent crime, defending election integrity, supporting gun owners’ rights, and fighting illegal immigration.
He also supports a “parents’ Bill of Rights” to “protect our children from radical agendas in the classroom.” And he vows to protect seniors and small businesses from financial scams and to fight other fraud.
Other statewide races
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution provides a head-to-head comparison of each race.
School superintendent: Lydia Powell (D) | Richard Woods — Incumbent (R)
Labor commissioner: Nikki Porcher (D) | Bárbara Rivera Holmes (R)
Insurance commissioner: John King — Incumbent (R)|Keisha Sean Waites (D)|
Public Service Commission:
District 3: Peter Hubbard — Incumbent (D) | Fitz Johnson (R)
District 5: Shelia Edwards (D) | Joshua Tolbert (R).
Agriculture commissioner: Katherine Juhan-Arnold (D) | Tyler Harper — Incumbent (R).
U.S. House races
Races vary depending on where you live. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution provides a head-to-head comparison of each:
U.S. House District 1: Amanda Hollowell (D) | Jim Kingston (R)
U.S. House District 2: Sanford Bishop — Incumbent (D) | Matt Day (R)
U.S. House District 3: Brian Jack — Incumbent (R)| Maura Keller (D)
U.S. House District 4: Jim Duffie (R)| Hank Johnson — Incumbent (D)
U.S. House District 5: John Salvesen (R)| Nikema Williams — Incumbent (D)
U.S. House District 6: Kevin Martin (R) | Lucy McBath — Incumbent (D)
U.S. House District 7: Tony Kozycki (D) | Rich McCormick — Incumbent (R)
U.S. House District 8: Kelly Esti (D) |Austin Scott — Incumbent (R)
U.S. House District 9: Andrew Clyde — Incumbent (R)| Caitlyn Gegen (D)
U.S. House District 10: Pamela DeLancy (D) | Houston Gaines (R)
U.S. House District 11: John Cowan (R)| Chris Harden (D)
U.S. House District 12: Rick Allen — Incumbent (R)| Ceretta Smith (D)
U.S. House District 13: Jonathan Chavez (R)| Jasmine Clark (D)
U.S. House District 14: Clay Fuller (R)| Shawn Harris (D)
Constitutional amendments
Create a Next Generation 911 Fund.
Georgia’s 911 system has been mostly unchanged since it was first built in the 1960s. This fund would help pay for a Next Generation 911 system that would improve audio and allow for more precise locations from callers.
Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez
Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez
Increase acre limit for agriculture and timber conservation use property tax classification.
Increase the maximum acreage of agricultural and timber property that can be classified as bona fide conservation use property, which is taxed at 40% of the land’s value, from 2,000 acres to 4,000 acres
Require nonpartisan elections for probate judges.
The state Legislature passed a law last year making magistrate judges nonpartisan. If voters approve, then every state judge in Georgia will be nonpartisan.
FAQs
What races are on the ballot?
Georgia voters will cast ballots for federal, state and local offices, including governor, U.S. Senate, statewide constitutional offices, Congress and the General Assembly. Some voters will also see local races, such as county commission and school board contests, depending on where they live. See the full list of races here.
When will results be available?
Officials report unofficial results after polls close at 7 p.m. on Election Day. Early voting and absentee ballot totals are typically reported first. It will take a week or two for state and local election officials to certify the final results. But we usually know who won on election night. You can track live vote counts here.
When and where can I vote early?
Early voting runs from Oct. 13-30. Many counties offer weekend hours. Voters may cast a ballot at any early voting location within their county.
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Where can I find a sample ballot?
Visit Georgia’s My Voter Page to view your sample ballot, verify your registration, track an absentee ballot and find your polling place.
How do absentee ballots work?
Absentee ballots must be requested by Oct. 23 and received by your county election office by 7 p.m. on Election Day. Ballots may be returned by mail or delivered to an approved county office or drop box. To locate designated return sites, go to your county registrar’s office.
What do I need to vote on Election Day?
Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Bring a valid photo ID and vote at your assigned polling place.
Can I vote if I’m still in line when polls close?
Yes. If you are in line by 7 p.m., you are entitled to vote, even if it takes longer to cast your ballot.
What is voter intimidation and how do I report it?
Voter intimidation includes any actions designed to threaten, coerce or pressure voters, including verbal threats, displaying weapons near polling places or spreading false information about voting requirements. If you experience or witness voter intimidation, report it to poll workers or call your local police department.
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