East Cobb election-day voting guide for the 2026 primaries Archives

According to Cobb Elections, nearly 62,000 Cobb residents have cast votes in advance of Tuesday’s primary elections, which will decide party nominees in a variety of local, state and federal races and determine some judicial seats.

The polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday. The deadline for mailed-in or hand-delivered absentee ballots to the Cobb Elections office is 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Voters who will be voting on Tuesday must go to their assigned precincts. In East Cobb, seven precincts will have new locations for the primaries.

Voters must choose to vote in one of the following primaries: Democratic, Republican or non-partisan; no switching over is allowed.

Voters must bring a valid photo ID with them to the polls (click here for details).

To check your voter registration status, and to get a customized sample ballot, visit the Georgia Secretary of State’s My Voter Page.

Cobb Elections also has prepared consolidated sample ballots: Democratic | Republican | Non-Partisan

East Cobb News has published a story on our approach to covering politics and elections; we don’t endorse candidates and focus instead on providing information to help citizens cast their votes.

Who/What’s on the ballot?

East Cobb News Explainer: Covering politics and elections

At the local level, voters in East Cobb will be choosing candidates in a number of races, including the Republican nominee for District 3 on the Board of Commissioners. Four-term incumbent JoAnn Birrell is facing a challenge from first-time candidate Chris Wasserman. Democrat Kevin Redmon awaits in November.

In Post 4 on the Cobb Board of Education, three-term Republican incumbent David Chastain will face either Micheal Garza or Susan McCartney, the Democratic candidates who have qualified.

First-term Democratic incumbent Nichelle Davis is being opposed in Post 6 on the Cobb Board of Education by Jennifer Susko. There is no Republican who qualified, so Tuesday’s winner will win that seat.

East Cobb News conducted the following interviews with each of those candidates in contested primaries:

Cobb Commission District 3, GOP

Commissioner JoAnn Birrell seeks fifth term as ‘energizer bunny.’ Story.
Challenger Chris Wasserman calls for ‘new energy and ideas.’ Story.

Cobb Board of Education Post 4, Democrat

School activist Michael Garza says ‘it’s the right time’ to take on status quo. Story.
Retired teacher Susan McCartney wants to ‘give back to education.’ Story.

Cobb Board of Education Post 6, Democrat

First-term incumbent Nichelle Davis prefers to ‘lead with joy.’ Story.
School district critic Jennifer Susko endorsed by former board member. Story.

Other Races

The only countywide race on the ballot is Cobb Solicitor General. Democratic incumbent Maria Metzger has a primary opponent in Christopher Futch; no Republican qualified.

There are seven incumbent judges on Cobb Superior Court and Cobb State Court who are running unopposed.

At the state level, crowded primaries are in store for the governor’s race, where incumbent Brian Kemp is term-limited. Other statewide races include lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, the commissioners of agriculture, labor and insurance and state school superintendent.

There are five races for Georgia Public Service Commissioner, and all state legislative seats will be decided in 2026.

In East Cobb, there is only one contested primary for a legislative seat. Democratic incumbent Mary Frances Williams will face Graham Bowers in the District 37 race.

There are contested primaries in both the Democratic and Republican parties in the race to succeed retiring U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk in the 11th Congressional District that includes most of East Cobb.

Incumbent U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff is unopposed in the Democratic primary as he seeks a second term, while there are five candidates seeking the Republican nomination.

There are three contested non-partisan primaries for Georgia Supreme Court Justice and another for Georgia Court of Appeals Justice, as those incumbents are facing opposition.

Coming on Tuesday

During the day, as the polls are open, East Cobb News will have a live, continuously updated post as voting goes on. Once the polls close, we will provide up-to-the minute results from key local races in particular.

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!