Augusta-Richmond County voting guide: deadlines, polling places, and school board races for Nov. 3

For Augusta-Richmond County, the stakes on Nov. 3 run from the governor’s office down to the school board that runs the county’s public schools. The registration deadline has already passed — Oct. 5 — so if you’re not on the rolls, this ballot won’t include you. If you are registered, early voting opens Tuesday, Oct. 13, and runs through Friday, Oct. 30. Here are the state, county, and city dates, sites, and races in one place.

State: Registration is closed; early voting opens Oct. 13

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. Because the registration cutoff was Oct. 5, 2026, you must already be registered to vote in this election.

Early voting runs Oct. 13 through Oct. 30, 2026. Georgia voters may cast an early ballot at any early-voting location in the county where they are registered, though exact hours vary by county. If any race goes to a runoff, the runoff is Dec. 1, 2026.

Augusta-Richmond County voters will decide these statewide offices:

• U.S. Senate: Jon Ossoff (Democrat) vs. Mike Collins (Republican)
• Governor: Keisha Lance Bottoms (Democrat) vs. Rick Jackson (Republican)
• Lieutenant Governor: Josh McLaurin (Democrat) vs. Greg Dolezal (Republican)
• Secretary of State: Penny Brown Reynolds (Democrat) vs. Tim Fleming (Republican)
• Attorney general, agriculture commissioner, insurance commissioner, labor commissioner, and state school superintendent: All contested statewide races
• Public Service Commission: The PSC race is district-specific, so the contest depends on your address.

Below the statewide offices, district races on the Richmond County ballot include:

• U.S. House District 12: Ceretta Smith (Democrat) vs. incumbent Richard “Rick” W. Allen (Republican)
• State Senate District 23: incumbent Max Burns (Republican) vs. Shayna Boston (Democrat)
• State House District 126: William C. Harris
• State House District 127: incumbent Mark Newton (Republican)
• State House District 130: David Carson and Thomas D. McAdams

County: Early voting sites, drop box, and precinct moves

Richmond County early voting runs Oct. 13–30 at four locations. They are open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., plus two Saturdays and one Sunday; the Sunday session is at the Linda Beazley/Municipal Building.

The four early-voting locations are:

• Linda Beazley/Municipal Building, 535 Telfair St, Augusta
• Henry Brigham Community Center, 2463 Golden Camp Rd, Augusta
• Robert Howard Community Center, 103 Diamond Lakes Way, Hephzibah
• Warren Road Recreation Center, 300 Warren Rd, Augusta

There is one absentee-ballot drop box: inside the Linda Beazley/Municipal Building near the early-voting area, accessible only during voting hours. Completed absentee ballots may also be delivered to the Richmond County Board of Elections at 535 Telfair Street, Suite 500, and must be received by 7:00 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 3, 2026.

On Nov. 3, Richmond County voters must vote at their assigned precinct. Polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Several Richmond County polling places have moved since 2022, so check before you head out. Changes announced for this election:

• St. Mark precincts 702 and 708 → National Hills Baptist Church
• Mann-Mize precinct 110 → Good Shepherd Baptist Church
• Mann-Mize precinct 208 → Building Worship Center
• Oasis Church precincts 804H and 810 → Brothersville Event Center

Confirm your assigned precinct and preview your sample ballot through the Georgia Secretary of State’s My Voter Page at mvp.sos.ga.gov, or call the Richmond County Board of Elections at 706-821-2340.

City: No mayor or commission race — but the school board is on the ballot

On Nov. 3, the local power on the Richmond County ballot belongs to the school board. Voters in Districts 2, 3, 6, 7 and 9 will choose the Richmond County Board of Education members who run the county’s public schools.

There is no mayoral election or regular Augusta Commission race this fall. Those contests were settled in the spring: Steven Kendrick won the June 16, 2026, runoff against incumbent Garnett Johnson with 54.27% of the vote. Johnson remains mayor through Dec. 31, 2026, and Kendrick is scheduled to take office in January 2027.

Kendrick has named a transition committee, co-chaired by Commissioner Jordan Johnson and former chamber executive Sue Parr, to develop recommendations for his first 90 days and a 12-month governing framework. The committee is scheduled to deliver its recommendations in December 2026.

The school board races on the ballot are:

• District 2: incumbent Charlie Hannah vs. RaShaun Holiday
• District 3: Kenyatta Brown, Bartley Payne, Janice Ramirez, and Carol J. Yancy
• District 6: incumbent Edward “Ed” Lowery vs. Charles “Chuckie” Williams
• District 7: Lisa Martin, running unopposed
• District 9 (Super District): incumbent Venus D. Cain vs. Thomas Gardiner, Delvin T. Howard, and Brad Owens
• Special election for the unexpired District 3 term: the same four District 3 candidates — Brown, Payne, Ramirez, and Yancy. A special election fills the remainder of an unfinished term, so District 3 voters will see two school board contests: one for a full term and one for the rest of the current term.

There is no SPLOST, T-SPLOST, ESPLOST, or other countywide tax referendum on this fall’s ballot. Augusta’s SPLOST 9 was considered by voters in May 2026, and SPLOST 8 collections are set to wrap up in fall 2026. The only other local contest is a City of Blythe special council election, limited to Blythe voters.

Because school board districts, legislative districts, and the Public Service Commission district all turn on your address, your ballot varies by precinct. Use your full street address on the Georgia Secretary of State’s My Voter Page at mvp.sos.ga.gov for your sample ballot and assigned polling place; the Augusta-Richmond County 2026 Election Information page also lists qualified candidates and ballot materials.

With the mayor and commission settled in the spring, Districts 2, 3, 6, 7, and 9 are this year’s local choice — the seats that decide who runs Richmond County’s public schools.