People who were surprised by precinct changes in the primary are being moved back to their original voting places for the Nov. 6 general election.

Floyd County Elections Supervisor Evon Billups said new precinct postcards will be mailed Monday to more than 1,000 registered voters in Garden Lakes and Mount Alto North.

“Please, please don’t throw it away without looking at it,” Billups said. “This will be the last card you get, and it will be the correct one.”

The changes affect voters in state House District 14, where Rep. Katie Dempsey, R-Rome, is unopposed for re-election, and state House District 12, where Republican Eddie Lumsden is challenging incumbent Democrat Barbara Massey Reece.

Until this election Dempsey represented all of Rome, but some city residents were shifted to the new 12th district when the maps were redrawn based on the 2010 census.

Click here for a map of state House districts.

That meant either mixing city voters with county voters at the same location or having split precincts. During the primary, voters were directed to the location corresponding with their House districts — but state elections officials later said voters’ addresses should determine their precincts.

“We sent some to Garden Lakes when we could have kept them at Mount Alto,” Billups said. “We’re going to put them back, but they’ll get different ballots depending on their district.”

In other words, the precincts are split. Billups said it actually makes more sense to have separate precincts for city and county voters. Residents in the unincorporated area are not eligible to vote in municipal elections, which are conducted in odd-numbered years to fill Rome City Commission and school board seats.

Despite the confusion regarding precinct locations during the primary, Billups said all voters received their correct ballots. None of the affected state House candidates were opposed for their party’s nomination.

Oct. 9 is the last day to register to vote in the November election or to update a change of address or name. Check the Georgia secretary of state website for online forms, sample ballots or to verify your status.

Click here for a link to the Floyd County Elections Office. 

Click here for a link to the Secretary of State's personalized My Voter page.