Secretary of State Kemp Sets Qualifying Dates for the Special Election in State House District 43

Atlanta –Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp today announced receipt of Governor Nathan Deal’s Writ of Election setting Tuesday, September 20, 2011 as the date for the special election to fill the vacancy in State House District 43.

Secretary Kemp set candidate qualifying for Monday, August 15, 2011 through Wednesday, August 17, 2011. Qualifying on Monday will run from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.; on Tuesday from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.; and on Wednesday from 8:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon. Candidates will qualify in the Elections Division of the Office of Secretary of State, 802 West Tower, 2 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, SE, Atlanta, Georgia 30334. The qualifying fee is $400.

The election for State House District 43 will occur in a portion of Cobb County.

The election is a non-partisan special election with no party primary. However, each candidate’s party affiliation, if any, will be listed on the ballot. A run-off election, if needed, will be held Tuesday, October 18, 2011.

Voters can request an absentee ballot from their county registrar’s office through the close of business on Friday, September 16, 2011. Absentee ballots must be returned to the county registrar’s office by the close of polls on Election Day. To download an absentee ballot request form, please visit: www.sos.ga.gov/elections.

Polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 20, 2011.

Citizens must be registered to vote by Monday, August 22, 2011 to participate in the September 20, 2011 special election. Voter registration forms can be obtained at any county registrar’s office or from the Secretary of State’s website: sos.ga.gov/elections.

Brian Kemp has been Secretary of State since January, 2010. Among the office’s wide-ranging responsibilities, the Secretary of State is charged with conducting efficient and secure elections, the registration of corporations, and the regulation of securities and professional license holders. The office also oversees the Georgia Archives.