Today is the last day for new voters to register and be eligible to cast ballots in Gwinnett County's upcoming MARTA referendum.
Voters already registered in Gwinnett need not take any action to be eligible to vote in the March 19 referendum. But they should be aware that today (Feb. 19) is also the last day to make changes to registrations prior to the election.
More information about registering to vote can be found on Gwinnett County's website and at the Georgia Secretary of State's website.
Though some local cities have added an item on the “brunch bill” — which allows restaurants to serve alcohol earlier on Sundays — to their local ballots, most Gwinnett voters will confront a single question when they vote on or before March 19:
“Gwinnett County has executed a contract for the provision of transit services, dated as of August 2, 2018. Shall this contract be approved? YES __ NO __”
A yes vote would be a vote in support of ratifying Gwinnett’s pending transit service contract with MARTA, allowing it to take over Gwinnett current transit services and greatly expand them — including a possible passenger rail extension from MARTA’s Doraville station into the Norcross area and an extensive, diverse bus system.
Read more about the transit plan here.
A yes vote would also trigger a new 1 percent sales tax to pay for such projects. The new countywide sales tax would remain in effect until 2057 and garner billions of dollars. Collected funds would be remitted to Gwinnett County, which would then write checks to MARTA for projects and operations.
Advance in-person voting for the special election starts Monday at the Gwinnett County elections office at 455 Grayson Highway in Lawrenceville. Voting will be held there every day between Monday and March 15, including weekends.
Between March 4 and 15, advance in-person voting will also be held at seven satellite locations:
- Bogan Park Community Recreation Center, 2723 North Bogan Road, Buford
- Lenora Park Gym, 4515 Lenora Church Road, Snellville
- Dacula Park Activity Building, 2735 Old Auburn Road, Dacula
- Lucky Shoals Park Community Recreation Center, 4651 Britt Road, Norcross
- George Pierce Park Community Recreation Center, 55 Buford Highway, Suwanee
- Mountain Park Activity Building, 1063 Rockbridge Road, Stone Mountain
- Shorty Howell Park Community Recreation Center, 2750 Pleasant Hill Road, Duluth
Voting hours at all locations are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Voters can also request an absentee ballot until March 15. A completed application must be received before an absentee ballot can be issued.
To request an application by mail or fax, visit gwinnettelections.com or contact the Voter Registrations and Elections Division at 678-226-7210
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