Only 635 residents in Calhoun, Gordon County have cast their early ballots for the local Primary, as of deadline Tuesday, July 17 at noon. The number is slim when compared to the 24,573, active registered voters in Calhoun and Gordon County, according to Director of the Gordon County Board of Elections Shea Hicks, but residents still have time.

Saturday voting will be held this Saturday, July 21, from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. at the Gordon County Board of Elections office located at 101 South Piedmont Street in Calhoun.

Though time is not up for residents who wish to cast their vote, several pieces of information are required even after voter registration has been completed.

According to Hicks, whether at the polls on July 31, early voting, or Saturday voting, residents must bring one of the following six forms of acceptable identification before casting their vote: Valid identification cared by any U.S. state with photo, a valid U.S. passport, a valid government employee card with photo identification, valid U.S. military identification card with photo, valid tribal identification card with photo, or a Georgia drivers license which is still eligible if it is expired.

If a resident has not already registered to vote, there is still time to register to vote for the General Elections in November. Gordon County residents must be registered to vote by Monday, October 8, 2012.

To be eligible to vote, one must be a citizen of the United States, a legal resident of the county in which you are voting, at least 17 and a half years of age to register and 18-years-old to vote. This stipulation relates to those who turn 18-years-old on Election Day. Additionally, to be eligible to vote, one must not be serving a sentence for conviction of a felony involving moral turpitude, and have not been found mentally incompetent by a judge, according to the Georgia Secretary of State Brian P. Kemp’s voter page.

The primary elections, which conclude on July 31, 2012, will decide which individual candidates will represent each party. Voters will determine a Democratic and a Republican candidate for the local elections in Gordon County by choosing only one Republican and Democrat, if applicable, to be represented on the ballot in the general elections in November. Ballots do have a space for voters to "write in" a candidate not represented on the ballot.

If one candidate is not elected by 50 plus one percent of the vote, a runoff will be conducted in August to determine who will be represented on the ballot in November, at which time, voters will choose between parties to determine one decisive winner to be named to that office.

Sample ballots have been provided for voters to see what to expect at the poles. The ballots are sample ballots only and cannot be used to vote. Additionally, names may be arranged differently, and all ballots are merely a sample of what to expect at the polls when voting.

Actual sample ballots for residents may be viewed at www.sos.ga.gov/mvp on the My Voter Page website.

According to Hicks, residents are encouraged to vote early potentially saving much time by avoiding the frustration of long lines on July 31. The Saturday, July 21, voting option will be the second time Gordon residents have had the option to vote on Satruday, with the first being in February 2012 voting on alcohol ordinances.

For more information contact the Gordon County Board of Elections and Voter Registration Office at 706-629-7781.