Georgia voters head to the polls Tuesday

Georgia voters head to the polls Tuesday in the state’s runoff elections with a chance to pick their party’s nominee for everything from Congress to their local county commission. The winners in some cases will be unopposed in November, meaning it’s all or nothing now. For others, a victory marks the midway point in their campaigns for Election Day in November. Regardless, it’s a chance for Georgians to have their say.

National races

All eyes are on the U.S. Senate contest between Republicans Jack Kingston and David Perdue, with the winner set to take on Democrat Michelle Nunn in a nationally watched contest.

With both men struggling to differentiate themselves on policy, the contest has turned increasingly personal. Perdue, a former Fortune 500 chief executive, depicts Kingston of Savannah as a 22-year veteran of Congress who’s become a Washington insider responsible for excessive federal spending. In turn, Kingston has painted Perdue as an out-of-touch corporate executive whose gilded lifestyle has little to do with the state’s ordinary people.

Among other top races:

•   1st Congressional District: The GOP primary runoff pits state Sen. Buddy Carter vs. surgeon Bob Johnson. It's the showcase contest of the district, which has a heavy Republican lean. Carter is fluent in coastal water policy, legislative wrangling and the Republican political networks coursing through coastal Georgia. Johnson speaks the language of anti-Washington grievance with the sharp tongue of a former Army Ranger. The winner will like his chances going into November. For the Democrats, the party runoff pits Richmond Hill Realtor Amy Tavio against UPS manager Brian Reese of Savannah.
• 10th Congressional District: The Republican race features Jody Hice, a conservative radio talk show host, against Mike Collins, a trucking company executive from Jackson and the son of former U.S. Rep. Mac Collins. Both are are vying to replace Republican U.S. Rep. Paul Broun, a tea party-friendly congressman who mounted an unsuccessful campaign for the U.S. Senate. The winner has Democratic opposition in the fall.
• 11th Congressional District: It's winner take all, with no opposition in November, between Republicans Bob Barr and Barry Loudermilk. Barr, the former Smyrna congressman, wants a ticket back to the nation's Capitol while Loudermilk, a former state senator from Cassville, wants his first ride. With seemingly few public policy differences between them, the two have clashed over everything from their political experience to Thomas Jefferson's role in American history.

State races

Candidates in both parties face runoffs for Georgia schools superintendent. On the GOP ballot, Mike Buck squares off against Richard Woods. Buck is the chief academic officer for the state Department of Education and has been a school leader in Oglethorpe and Columbia counties and Rome City Schools. Woods, a former Irwin County administrator, has advocated for an isolationist approach on the state's education policies, such as withdrawing from the national academic standards known as Common Core.

For Democrats, 12-year state Rep. Alisha Thomas Morgan, D-Austell, faces former Decatur school board Chairwoman Valarie Wilson. Morgan is strongly supported by school choice advocates. Wilson, who got more votes than Morgan in the May 20 primary, is backed by many of the party's leaders and teacher groups.

Local races

The biggest local race on Tuesday's ballot will be the runoff for DeKalb County sheriff, which will pit former DeKalb CEO Vernon Jones against Jeff Mann, who was appointed sheriff last year.

The race is to replace Thomas Brown, who resigned as sheriff to run for Congress.

Mann finished first in primary voting in May out of a five-candidate field, but he failed to get more than 50 percent of the vote. Jones, the most well-known candidate in the field, finished a distant second.

Among other top races:

• Cobb County: Robert Weatherford and Bill Byrne face off in the Republican primary runoff to become the party's nominee for the District 1 seat on Cobb's County Commission. They survived a five-candidate primary vote in the race to replace Commissioner Helen Goreham, a Republican who is not seeking re-election.
• Fulton County: Democrats Marvin Arrington and Brenda Muhammad are competing to become the nominee for the District 5 seat on Fulton's County Commission. Muhammad, a former member of the Atlanta Public Schools board, is battling an established political name in Arrington, the son of well-known Fulton judge.

Runoff election rules

Because the state conducts an “open” primary, voters last month were able to pick their choice of ballots regardless of any political affiliation. Not so for the July 22 runoff. As a voter, you must stick with the party ballot you chose for the main primary May 20. (In other words, you can’t cast a Democratic ballot in the main primary and then vote in a Republican runoff.) Important: If you did not vote in the primary, you may still cast a ballot in the runoff. And you can pick the party ballot of your choice.

Where do I vote?

Voters can see personalized sample ballots, verify their registration status and find polling locations on the secretary of state's "My Voter Page" website (www.mvp.sos.ga.gov).

Information about local elections can also be found on the state's "GA Votes" mobile apps. You can download the free apps for both Apple and Android operating systems using either the iTunes app store for an iPhone or iPad or Google Play for Android.

What to bring with you