On the July 15 primary ballot, voters will have more to consider than candidates and the county's request for authority to create tax allocation districts. The Gwinnett County Democratic and Republican parties have lots of questions for you to answer. The questions are posed to help party leaders know what party members are thinking and will not directly result in policy changes.

Kimberly Smith/AJC (ENLARGE)

A Duluth voter leaves City Hall after casting his ballot in a 2007 election.

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THE QUESTIONS

Voters who choose a Republican ballot will be asked to consider nine questions chosen by the party's executive board from questions suggested by county Republican Party members. Topics range from bringing MARTA rail to the county to opinions on illegal immigration policy.

A sample: "Do you believe that the Federal Government should use taxpayer money to bail out failing banks and lenders and/or the homeowners facing foreclosure?"

Democratic voters will answer 14 questions, including: "Do you believe that the County Commission has done enough to control development in Gwinnett County over the past four years?" Other questions tackle environmental questions, immigration policy and the Iraq war.

WHY PARTIES DO IT

Party leaders say putting the questions on the ballot helps drive people to the polls and gives party leaders and elected officials feedback on what voters want. For instance, Greg Howard, the chairman of Gwinnett's Republican Party, said results from straw polling of GOP voters in the 2004 primary helped firm up support in the Georgia congressional delegation on immigration reform issues.

THE COST

It's negligible, said Lynne Ledford, the county's elections chief. While it's true that qualifying fees collected by the county from parties pay only a portion of the cost of holding a primary, adding the ballot questions costs hardly anything. State election law allows parties to submit the questions.

THE HISTORY

The last time Gwinnett residents had a chance to answer such ballot questions came in July 2006, when Republican officials asked about immigration and tax policies. The party didn't quiz voters in 2004, but in 2002 asked about tax policies and school vouchers. Democrats haven't asked ballot questions dating back to at least 2000, according to county records.

• Read the ballot questions

• Download the ballot questions (DOC file)