Sandy Springs residents can vote early at three local sites on whether to renew the one-penny education sales tax funding Fulton County Schools.
Early voting opened Tuesday, Oct. 13, and runs through Friday, Oct. 30, according to Fulton County's elections office. The Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, known as ESPLOST, appears on the Nov. 3 general election ballot. If approved, the tax would continue for another five years.
Three Sandy Springs locations are accepting early ballots:
- North Fulton Service Center, 7741 Roswell Road
- North Fulton Training Center, 5025 Roswell Road
- Sandy Springs Library, 395 Mt. Vernon Highway
The Sandy Springs Library also has a designated absentee ballot drop box. Voters who requested mail-in absentee ballots can return them there, at a Fulton County Registrar's Office, or by postal mail. The last day to request an absentee ballot is Friday, Oct. 23, Axios Atlanta reported.
Early voting hours are Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. On Election Day, voters must report to their assigned polling location, not an early voting site. Voters can look up their assigned location on the Georgia Secretary of State's My Voter Page.
Fulton County Schools said on X that the renewal would let the district continue collecting the one-penny sales tax for education. The district's Capital Plan 2032 describes the tax as a "pay-as-you-go" approach that carries no interest costs.
ESPLOST revenue funds school facility work, technology, safety and security measures, transportation and equipment. The tax helps reduce the impact on property owners by spreading costs across everyone making taxable purchases in Fulton County, according to Fulton County Schools. Without the sales tax, the district said alternatives would include a general obligation bond or a higher maintenance and operations millage rate.
Voters can cast early ballots at any of the three Sandy Springs locations before the advance voting period ends.
