Elections are an important way for citizens to make their opinions heard and voice what matters most. Our elected officials have direct control over the laws and policies that govern our society. The communities we live in are largely influenced by many of the elections that occur during off-year or mid-term. Midterm elections are named as such because they take place during the midpoint of a presidential election. That means for us, 2022 is going to be packed with many critical midterm elections. This will include a Primary Election in May, a General Election in November, and any necessary Special or Runoff Elections.

So what exactly is a primary election, and what's the point of it? One use of a primary election is to narrow down the candidate for a political party that will later face off in the general election (Federal Voting Assistance Program). Traditionally, Democrats will face other Democrats, and Republicans will face other Republicans to determine which candidate will represent that particular party. Once the primaries are complete, there will be one Republican, one Democrat, and one candidate for any other party who will run for that particular seat in the general election. Primary elections are also used to elect convention delegates and party leaders on local and state levels and referendums such as the cityhood movements that are taking place this year (Ballotpedia).

There are a few different types of primaries that can take place: open primaries, closed primaries, or semi-closed primaries. Georgia elections run as open primaries, meaning voters from any political affiliation can vote for any party in the primary (Federal Voting Assistance Program). Georgia doesn't require you to select a political party when registering, but you do have to choose a party when voting in the primary. Yet, even if you are affiliated with a particular party, you can choose another party to vote for. For example, if you affiliate with the Republican party, you can select to vote with a Democratic ballot. However, you can only choose to vote with a Democratic, Republican, or non-partisan party ballot. You cannot vote across multiple parties. If you choose to vote with a particular party, you have to stick with that party if it goes to a runoff election (Ravitz, 2022). This does not impact general elections as all parties vote with the same ballot.

Not as many voters turn out for these non-presidential elections, which means your vote holds even more weight. Check out who and what is going to be on your ballot before heading to the polls to make an informed decision. Your future is in your hands, so mark your calendars and make your plan to vote!

As a reminder, the deadline to register to vote in the Primary Election is April 25th, 2022. Absentee ballot requests are being accepted now through May 13th, so request yours today! Early Voting starts May 2nd and ends May 20th. Election Day is Tuesday, May 24th!

Have questions? Send us an email at voting@cobbcollaborative.org 

Cobb Collaborative Executive Director, Irene Barton, was recognized by LiveSafe Resources as one of their 2022 Women of Achievement nominees. Shown are photos from the March 25 Tribute to Achievement gala event in which all 2022 nominees were recognized. Irene says she is humbled and honored to be recognized along with the other 14 nominees.

From the Cobb Collaborative staff, we offer our sincere CONGRATULATIONS to Irene for this honor. To know and work alongside her is to know she has a heart for others and is driven by a genuine passion to improve outcomes for ALL children and families. This is a well deserved honor of recognition!

The Collaborative also extends our sincere congratulations to all nominees and to 2022 Woman of Achievement Winner, Dr. Jackie McMorris, County Manager, Cobb County!

At Cobb Collaborative, we are driven by a passion to improve outcomes for children and families in Cobb County. We are proud to work alongside our members and community partners as we all strive toward the betterment of our community.

The concept of the Collaborative is as simple as it is innovative: we bring local organizations together to serve our community. Help us grow our membership by inviting others to join as well. Visit our newly updated Membership page for more information.

We would like to recognize the following member organizations who renewed in recent weeks:

We would also like to extend a warm welcome to new Collaborative members who have joined recently:

As a reminder, some Collaborative member benefits include:

If you have any questions concerning membership, benefits, etc. please contact Irene Barton. For member communications, including social media, website and newsletter, please contact Kelly Mellen.

The Cobb Chamber has launched CobbHires.com, an online portal connecting Cobb's employers and qualified talent through a job and internship board. We're making it easy for businesses like yours to post their open positions or internship opportunities to find the best candidates right here in Cobb County. This portal also provides our Cobb community members access to local job opportunities to assist them in finding a new career opportunity.

Simply access the Job Board here or the Internship Board here, and list your open positions! For more information, please contact Twana Roots at troots@cobbchamber.org.

Click here for our web page with archived Cobb Collaborative newsletters, including special edition resource sharing editions.

We are constantly adding new events to our calendar! Be sure to check out our website for a full list of upcoming programming.