Congressional candidates jump onto ballot as qualifying begins for 2024 Georgia races

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia’s 2024 elections kicked into high gear Monday with the start of qualifying for state and federal offices.

Dozens of candidates from the Republican and Democratic parties streamed to the state Capitol to sign papers and pay their qualifying fees, while those running for nonpartisan posts and as independents lined up across the street to qualify with the secretary of state’s office. Candidates have until noon Friday to sign up.

While the presidential contest will top Georgia’s November ballots, all 14 of the state’s congressional seats, plus its 56 state Senate seats and 180 state House seats are also up for grabs. Parties will decide their nominees in primaries on May 21, the same day Georgia will elect judges and other nonpartisan offices. Runoffs will be held on June 18 for any offices in which a candidate doesn’t win a majority on May 21.

Because of court-ordered redistricting, all the members of Congress whose districts touch metro Atlanta have at least some new territory, as do many state Senate districts in metro Atlanta and state House districts in metro Atlanta and middle Georgia. A judge ruled those lines discriminated against Black voters, prompting another round of redistricting that is likely to preserve Republican majorities.

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