

Georgia requires independent candidates to obtain signatures from five percent of registered voters in any particular district to qualify for their name to appear on the ballot. This can translate to thousands of voters and significant legwork for an interested candidate to qualify.
If one has ever considered running for the Georgia General Assembly, but doesn’t consider themselves a member of either major party, here’s a look at how many signatures would be required for ballot access in 2020. It’s important to acknowledge this is separate from nor does it exclude someone from registering as a write-in candidate.
District | Current Representative | Required Signatures |
---|---|---|
Senate 10 | Emanuel Jones | 6,333 |
Senate 17 | Brian Strickland | 6,463 |
House 73 | Karen Mathiak | 1,913 |
House 76 | Sandra Scott | 1,869 |
House 78 | Demetrius Douglas | 1,911 |
House 90 | Pam Stephenson | 2,068 |
House 109 | Dale Rutledge | 2,053 |
House 110 | Andy Welch | 1,880 |
House 111 | El-Mahdi Holly | 2,269 |
House 130 | David Knight | 1,803 |
This year, voters will also consider candidates for a variety of local positions including district attorney, sheriff, tax commissioner, school board members, and county commissioners. Here’s a look at ballot access requirements at a local level.
Position | Required Signatures |
---|---|
Countywide Office (Sheriff, Tax Commissioner, County Chair, etc) | 6,291 |
County Commission District I | 1,152 |
County Commission District II | 1,378 |
School Board District I | 1,047 |
School Board District II | 1,241 |
School Board District III | 1,212 |
All numbers correspond to the 2020 election. The five percent requirement is calculated based on the number of registered voters at the time of the immediate past election for the office sought.
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