(Editor’s note: For candidates, campaign staff, donors and other interested parties participating in Georgia’s 2016 elections, knowing election law and campaign finance deadlines are very important. The Dentons Political Law Team has compiled a calendar of these dates for everyone’s convenience. RED events are campaign disclosure deadlines and BLUE events are election-related dates.)
* February 5, 2016 – January 31, 2016 Campaign Contribution Disclosure Report due (for period covering July 1, 2015 – January 31, 2016).
* March 1, 2016 – Presidential Primary Election Day (O.C.G.A. § 21-2-191).
* March 7, 2016 (9:00 a.m.) – March 11, 2016 (12:00 p.m./noon) – Qualifying week for partisan and certain non-partisan elections
* By state law, qualifying week for partisan elections must be three to five consecutive days and begin at 9:00 a.m. on the Monday of the thirty-fifth week immediately prior to the election and end at 12:00 p.m. (noon) on the following Friday (O.C.G.A. § 21-2-132(d)(1) – O.C.G.A. § 21-2-132(d)(3)).
* By state law, qualifying week for judicial elections must be three to five consecutive days and begin at 9:00 a.m. on the Monday of the eleventh week immediately prior to the election and end at 12:00 p.m. (noon) on the following Friday (O.C.G.A. § 21-2-132(c)(1) – O.C.G.A. § 21-2-132(c)(3)).
* Qualifying for certain municipal non-partisan elections will occur beginning on August 29, 2016.
* Note – A Financial Disclosure Statement covering the period of the preceding calendar year must be filed no later than the fifteenth day following the date of qualifying as a candidate. Candidates for statewide office file not later than seven days after qualifying for office.
* April 7, 2016 – March 31, 2016 Campaign Contribution Disclosure Report due (for period covering February 1, 2016 – March 31, 2016).
* April 26, 2016 – Last day for a person to register and be eligible to vote in the General Primary/Non-Partisan/Special Election and Runoff Election (O.C.G.A. § 21-2-224(a)).
* May 2, 2016 – Advanced (Absentee In-Person) Voting begins for the General Primary/Non-Partisan/Special Election (O.C.G.A. § 21-2-385(d)(1)).
* May 14, 2016 – Mandatory Saturday Voting for the General Primary/Non-Partisan/Special Election (O.C.G.A. § 21-2-385(d)(1)).
* May 24, 2016 – General Primary Election Day (O.C.G.A. § 21-2-150) and Judicial Election Day (O.C.G.A. § 21-2-138).
* July 1, 2016 – Deadline to file State Personal Financial Disclosure form for incumbents.
* July 8, 2016 – June 30, 2016 Campaign Contribution Disclosure Report due (for period covering April 1, 2016 – June 30, 2016).
* July 26, 2016 – General Primary Runoff, Nonpartisan General Runoff Election and Special Runoff Election.
* October 7, 2016 – September 30, 2016 Campaign Contribution Disclosure Report due (for period covering July 1, 2016 – September 30, 2016).
* November 1, 2016 – October 25, 2016 Campaign Contribution Disclosure Report due (for period covering October 1, 2016 – October 25, 2016).
* November 8, 2016 – General Election Day (O.C.G.A. § 21-2-9(c)).
* December 6, 2016 – Non-federal General Election Runoff (O.C.G.A. § 21-2-501(a)(4)).
* January 6, 2017 – December 31, 2016 Campaign Contribution Disclosure Report due (for period covering October 26, 2016 – December 31, 2016).
* January 10, 2017 – Federal General Election Runoff (O.C.G.A. § 21-2-501(a)(3)).
