Chatham County, Georgia, District and Precinct Structure
There are 14 state-wide congressional districts in Georgia.
On the county level, there are 8 commission districts within Chatham County.
Within those 8 districts are approximately 90 precincts. Each precinct has a polling location, which is the building where you go to vote on election day. Here are the polling locations located within Commission District 1 as of 1/1/2023.
Chatham County Election Organization
Most counties within Georgia have one entity that handles everything to do with elections. Chatham County is an anomaly in that it has two separate boards overseeing election activity. The Chatham County Board of Registrars is responsible for voter registration and maintaining the voter rolls. The Chatham County Board of Elections is responsible for the polling locations, machines, and process. Most counties in Georgia have one entity that combines all of these functions. A fun fact is that the BOR maintains and is the source of the voter data that the Georgia Secretary of State (SOS) uses for the MyVoterPage website. The MyVoterPage website is a primary source for voters to know their voting district boundary lines and, thus, who their elected officials are. Please see this resource for knowing how to “read” your precinct card.
As of 9/11/23, the BOR/BOE has completed the redistricting process only for District 2, therefore the data on the precinct cards from the MyVoterPage may be incorrect.
Redistricting
Here is an explanation of the redistricting process, taken from a video (see link below) created by Chatham County.
“Every ten years the federal government conducts a Census to see how much our population has grown. Often after a Census federal, state, and local district boundaries must change to equalize populations and reflect demographic changes. Chatham County’s population has grown by just over 11% in the past 10 years with the western part of the County seeing the largest increases. Each District should have about 36,911 residents. To accommodate population growth and people moving from one side of the County to another the District maps have been redrawn to balance the number of residents.”
The redistricted boundary lines for Chatham County took effect on 1/1/23. However, there are a series of steps involved in the redistricting process which the county has not finalized for the entire county. It is very confusing to determine if you were affected by the redistricting process, but below are tips to help.
Special Election for District 2 Commissioner, September 19, 2023
There is a vacancy for the Chatham County Commission District 2 Commissioner seat due to the passing of Gator Rivers in April 2023. The county is holding a special election for this seat. Special elections tend to have low voter turnout. According to Board of Registrars Chairman Colin McRae during a Friday morning press conference on 8/18/23, McRae indicated District 2 has 31,296 eligible voters. He anticipates that 30% or 9,388 voters may decide who gets elected. Every vote really will count in this election. The CC GOP is backing candidate David Tootle, Republican. He is running against 3 democrats.
The northwest section of precinct 1-8
Some voters living in precinct 1-8 were redistricted out of Chatham County Commission 1 (Commissioner Helen Stone) to Chatham County Commission District 2, and are eligible to vote in the special election on September 19th.
How to verify your voting districts/elected officials
#1 Call the Board of Registrars at 912 790 1520 and ask if you are eligible to vote in the special election.
#2 Go to the SAGIS website, enter your address, and check to see who your county commissioner is. Cross check this against the information on your precinct card.
Resources
Chatham County Redistricting video (August 2022)
