Georgia state legislative Republican primaries, 2018

Elections in Georgia, 2018

• General election: Nov. 6
• Voter registration deadline: Oct. 9
• Early voting: Oct. 15 - Nov. 2
• Absentee voting deadline: Nov. 6

• Online registration: Yes
• Same-day registration: No
• Voter ID: Photo ID required
• Poll times: 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

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2018 Georgia State Legislature elections
General	November 6, 2018
Primary	May 22, 2018
Primary Runoff	July 24, 2018

2018 elections
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The Republican primary elections for the seats in the Georgia State Senate and Georgia House of Representatives were on May 22, 2018, and the Republican primary runoff elections were on July 24, 2018. For information about the Democratic primary elections in Georgia, click here.

The general election was on November 6, 2018. The candidate filing deadline was March 9, 2018. In the state Senate, all 56 seats were up for election. In the state House, all 180 seats were up for election.

HIGHLIGHTS

As of December 2017, Georgia was one of 26 Republican trifectas. A state government trifecta is a term used to describe a single-party government where one political party holds the governor's office and a majority in both chambers of the state legislature. To find out more about state government trifectas, click here.

Incumbents who did not advance to the general election

Retiring incumbents

Three Republican state Senate incumbents did not file for re-election.

• Michael Williams (District 27)
• Joshua McKoon (District 29)
• David Shafer (District 48)

Sixteen Republican state House incumbents did not file for re-election.

• Paul Battles (District 15)
• Howard Maxwell (District 17)
• Earl Ehrhart (District 36)
• Richard Golick (District 40)
• Bradford Jay Raffensperger (District 50)
• Wendell Willard (District 51)
• Tom Taylor (District 79)
• Brooks Coleman, Jr. (District 97)
• Buzz Brockway (District 102)
• Joyce Chandler (District 105)
• David Casas (District 107)
• John Pezold (District 133)
• Allen Peake (District 141)
• Bubber Epps (District 144)
• Buddy Harden (District 148)
• Chad Nimmer (District 178)

Incumbents defeated

Five Republican state House incumbents were defeated in their primaries.

• John Deffenbaugh (District 1)
• Paulette Rakestraw (District 19)
• Dan Gasaway (District 28)
• Johnnie Caldwell Jr. (District 131)
• Jason Spencer (District 180)

Competitiveness

See also: 2018 primary election competitiveness in state and federal government and Georgia state legislative Democratic primaries, 2018

Fifty-nine more candidates ran in 2018 than in 2016. Eight-one more candidates ran in 2018 than in 2014. The number of contested Democratic primaries increased to 46 from 31 in 2016 and 23 in 2014. The number of contested Republican primaries stayed relatively the same as previous years.

Year	Total seats	Open seats	Total candidates	Democratic primaries contested	Republican primaries contested	Total contested	Incumbents contested in primaries	Total incumbents contested in primaries
2018	236	20	445	46	46	19.5%	55	25.5%
2016	236	19	386	31	45	16.1%	49	22.6%
2014	236	17	364	23	39	13.1%	48	21.9%

Partisan control

The tables below show the partisan breakdowns of the Georgia House of Representatives and the Georgia State Senate as of July 2018:

Georgia House of Representatives

Party		As of July 2018
	Democratic Party	64
	Republican Party	115
	Vacancies	1
Total		180

Georgia State Senate

Party		As of July 2018
	Democratic Party	19
	Republican Party	37
	Vacancies	0
Total		56

Battleground races

Ballotpedia identified battleground races in the 2018 Georgia state legislative Republican primary elections. These primaries had the potential to be more competitive than other races and could have led to changes in the membership of the Republican caucus or had an impact on general election races.

To determine the Georgia state legislative Republican primary battleground races in 2018, Ballotpedia examined races that fit one or more of the three factors listed below:

1. Identified by the media as a notable primary election.
2. One or more of the candidates received a notable endorsement.
3. The primary was known to be competitive based on past results or because it was a rematch of a primary that was competitive in the past.

House battlegrounds

House District 6

Did the incumbent file to run for re-election?

Yes

What made this a battleground race?

State Rep. Matt Gurtler, who was elected to represent a district in rural north Georgia in 2016, was challenged by Mickey Cummings, a local farmers market manager. House Republican leaders, including Speaker David Ralston, supported Cummings. They were angry with Gurtler for voting against the party’s agenda, including the 2017 budget. Gurtler said he was an independent voice who stood up for smaller government.

House District 48

Did the incumbent file to run for re-election?

Yes

What made this a battleground race?

State Rep. Betty Price, married to former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price (R), faced former Roswell Mayor Jere Wood in a battle for her suburban Atlanta district. Personality more than policy separated the two as Wood said Price was difficult to work with and had not built relationships at the state capitol. Price said her sponsorship of successful property tax caps in metro Atlanta counties showed her effectiveness. Wood also said some additional revenue could be needed to pay for transit in the district. Price said keeping tax low was her main priority.

Voter information

How the primary works

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Georgia utilizes an open primary system, in which registered voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary.

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

Poll times

In Georgia, polls are open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. Eastern Time. In cities with a population greater than 300,000 people, polls remain open until 8 p.m. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.

Registration requirements

Check your voter registration status here.

To vote in Georgia, one must be a citizen of the United States and a legal resident of their county. The voter must be at least 17.5 years of age at the time of registration and 18 at the time of the election, and not serving a sentence for a felony conviction.

The deadline to register to vote is 29 days prior to the election. Registration can be completed online, in person, or by mail.

Automatic registration

In Georgia, eligible voters are automatically registered to vote when they conduct transactions at the Department of Driver Services. This automatic registration program began in 2016.

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

Georgia has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.

Same-day registration

Georgia does not allow same-day voter registration.

Residency requirements

To register to vote in Georgia, you must be a resident of the state. State law does not specify a length of time for which you must have been a resident to be eligible.

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

A Georgia state law, passed in 2009, required voters to provide proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote. However, as of June 2025, the law had not been implemented.

In 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states cannot require proof of citizenship with federal registration forms. That meant states would need to create a separate registration system for state elections in order to require proof of citizenship.

In Georgia, an individual must attest that they are a U.S. citizen when registering to vote. According to the state's voter registration application, a voter who provides false information on a voter registration application is guilty of a felony.

All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment. Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.

Verifying your registration

The site My Voter Page, run by the Georgia Secretary of State's office, allows residents to check their voter registration status online.

Voter ID requirements

Georgia requires voters to present photo identification while voting in person or by mail/absentee.

The following list of accepted ID was current as of August 2024. Click here for the Georgia Secretary of State's page on accepted ID to ensure you have the most current information.

“

Any valid state or federal government-issued photo ID, including a free ID card issued by your county registrar's office or the Georgia Department of Driver Services. A Georgia driver's license, even if expired Student ID from a Georgia public College or University Valid employee photo ID from any branch, department, agency, or entity of the U.S. Government, Georgia, or any county, municipality, board, authority or other entity of this state Valid U.S. passport ID Valid U.S. military photo ID containing a photograph of the voter Valid tribal photo ID containing a photograph of the voter

”

Voters can obtain a free voter ID card from any county registrar's office or Department of Driver Services Office. Click here for more information on obtaining a free voter ID card in Georgia.

Early voting

Georgia permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.

Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.

Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia permit no-excuse early voting.

Absentee voting

All voters are eligible to vote absentee/by-mail in Georgia. There are no special eligibility requirements for voting absentee. The ballot application deadline is 11 days before Election Day. A completed ballot must be received by 7 p.m. on Election Day.

See also

• Georgia state legislative Democratic primaries, 2018
• Georgia House of Representatives elections, 2018
• Georgia State Senate elections, 2018
• Georgia State Legislature
• Georgia elections, 2018