Municipal elections are set to start in the coming weeks as the Board of Elections announced early voting dates starting on Tuesday, October 12 and continuing onward until Friday, October 29, with Saturday voting dates included in the schedule this year as well.

Cedartown and Rockmart precincts will be open for early voting at the Board of Elections office in downtown Cedartown at 144 West Ave., and at the Rockmart Community Center at 604 Goodyear Ave., Rockmart.

Saturday voting is being held in Cedartown this year on October 16 and October 23, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, and in Rockmart only on October 23 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Early voting at both locations will be open during weekdays for the three weeks from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. starting in two weeks. The three week period concludes just ahead of the November 2 election date.

This year, voters are being asked to come out to all precincts on Election Day to determine whether they will allow the Polk County Board of Education to move forward with another E-SPLOST, which would extend collections through until 2031. The project is set to provide a number of fixes and upgrades for the system, including a new Fine Arts wing at Rockmart High School to match the efforts completed at Cedartown High School.

Additionally, voters in Rockmart in District 1 have a contested race between incumbent Joe Henderson and challenger Will Dover. Council members Lucille Harris and Mike Bradley will retain their seats without opposition for the 2021 municipal elections.

Aragon voters also have choices to make this year with three candidates vying for two open seats on the Aragon City Council. Council member Daniel Johnson is seeking to retain his seat, while Dickie Gazaway and Stephen Wilson are also both running for a council spot as well. There are two at-large positions open for this election.

The Aragon Council is also set to replace Buddy Tanner this year after he resigned from the council in recent weeks. A special election for his seat was opened up and Donald E. Canada Jr. was the only to qualify for the seat.

Cedartown’s trio of Commissioners – despite a special election required for the seat held by Jessica Payton – will remain the same after no one else qualified to enter the race this year.

Requests for absentee ballots are also being taken and began on August 16. The final day to request a by-mail absentee ballot is Friday, October 22 at 5 p.m.

All absentee ballots have to be returned by Election Day before polls close.