SOURCE: WALB

VALDOSTA – The last day to register to vote is October 9. Georgians will hit the polls November 6 for the Georgia General Election and can begin voting as early as October 15-November 5.

There will be five constitutional amendments, and two referendums on the November 6 ballot that Georgia voters need to be aware of.

Below is a guideline on the amendments that will be on the ballot:

· Amendment One: The first amendment would create the Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Trust Fund, to which up to 80 percent of sales taxes collected at sporting goods stores, including gun stores, would be redirected. The fund would be used to conserve and acquire land for uses such as wildlife habitats, recreation and buffering around military installations.

· Amendment Two: The second amendment would create a “state-wide business court” with statewide jurisdiction in an effort to streamline and improve handling of business cases.

· Amendment Three: The third amendment would change the rules for assessing the value of forest land for property tax purposes and allows the state revenue commissioner to collect up to five percent of forest conservation grants to cover certain costs.

· Amendment Four: The fourth amendment, modeled on “Marsy’s Law,” the crime victim’s bill of rights, would require the court to notify and include the alleged victims of crimes in most court proceedings.

· Amendment Five: The fifth amendment would affect counties with more than one school system and would allow the system with the most students to call for a sales tax referendum to fund school construction without getting approval from the smaller system.

The two referendums include:\