Not paying attention to politics yet? It’s time.
This year, Georgia moved up its primary elections two months, from the traditional July to May 20. That’s less than three weeks away! Early voting began last week.
But don’t worry. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has you covered.
We’re providing utility information that will help you know where to vote, what you need at the polls, and more. And we’re giving you in-depth content profiling the candidates, comparing their positions and challenging questionable assertions.
The right to vote has been hard-won for many Americans, and it’s a pillar of our republic. So at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, where we take public service seriously, we work hard to provide the information you need to make informed choices at the polls.
It’s just primary elections, you might think – a preliminary step. You don’t need to worry about voting till the big election in November.
However, depending on where you live, the primary might decide who becomes your county commissioner or congressman. Because of aggressive redistricting, in many communities, there won’t be a Republican or, conversely, a Democrat running in your district this fall. So May 20 might decide who represents you.
So this election season, you’ll find politics material in multiple AJC products: the newspaper; our free website, ajc.com; and on our premium website, myajc.com.
Here’s a rundown of what our reporting teams are doing to help you choose your local, state and federal representatives:
•A chart comparing candidate positions in the all-important race for Georgia’s open seat in the U.S. Senate.
•Profiles of each candidate in that race. A week-long series begins in print May 12. Already on ajc.com and myajc.com, we have an interactive graphic including links to each candidate’s campaign websites, ads, bios, etc.
•A rundown on each of Georgia’s eight contested congressional races. My U.S. House seat northwest of Atlanta is up for election this year; yours might be, too.
•Our Voter Guide, done each election year in cooperation with the League of Women Voters. This is an ajc.com tool — too voluminous to run in print — that offers background information provided by candidates for local offices such as county commission and school board, as well as for statewide offices. You can even use it to create your own customized ballot, based on where you live. You’ll find it at ajc.com/voterguide
•Our PolitiFact Georgia Truth-O-Meter, whose reporters are busily truth-testing claims politicians on both sides of the aisle are making in speeches, ads and campaign fliers. The fact-checks run five days a week in print, and on ajc.com, you can look up past rulings, from “True” all the way down to “Pants on Fire.”
Meanwhile, on myajc.com, our subscriber site, we will be providing election content you won’t find on our free website. Right now, we have posted there all of the Georgia U.S. Senate candidates’ TV ads, organized by candidate. And we have a chart that shows what all the polls are indicating about who’s leading the Senate race.
We’ll be adding more extras to our Georgia Politics page on myajc.com as the elections approach. If you’re a subscriber, you have free access to myajc.com. Just go to the site and register.
And if you’re on Facebook or Twitter, “like” AJC Politics or follow @ajcpolitics. We’ll tip you off via social media when there’s a breaking political story, and you can comment, ask us questions or suggest coverage.
In coming weeks, we’ll provide exclusive polling that will explore the issues that matter most to Georgians as they prepare to vote. In addition to the telephone poll, our reporters will be traveling the state talking to likely voters in the diners and barbecue joints about what’s on their minds politically.
And as the governor’s race heats up this summer, you can expect a wealth of coverage from us — much of which you won’t find elsewhere.
One thing you won’t get from us is endorsements of candidates. The Opinion pages don’t fall under my purview, but we’re continuing the policy we began several years ago. In an era when information on candidates is widely available, you don’t need us to tell you how to vote.
You can make up your own mind. We can, however, arm you with the information you need to do that.
Fast-forward to election night: ajc.com will be the site to watch for up-to-the-moment Georgia election results. Working with our news partners at Channel 2 Action News, we’ll have reporters at local election headquarters across the metro area making sure we get the latest vote tallies. As always, we’ll stay as late as necessary to get you final results on each race.
Do you think we’re missing something? We rely on our readers to backstop us on all of our coverage, and elections are particularly important. If you have an idea, email me at cgay@ajc.com.
Charles Gay is deputy nanaging editor for local news, including election coverage. He was The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s political editor from 2001 to 2006.
