COVINGTON, Ga. — As Newton County voters cast their ballot in the primary elections beginning next week as the early voting gets underway, they’ll also get a chance to provide input to the area’s Democrat and Republican parties.

The Democrat Party has put forward nine survey questions concerning topics such as student loan debt forgiveness, paid parental leave and tax credits, among others for residents to answer “yes” or “no”:

1. Should the United States remove obstacles to economic advancement by forgiving all student loan debt?

2. Should all Georigans have access to paid parental leave following the birth or adoption of a child?

3. Should every three- and four-year-old in Georgia be given the opportunity to attend a high-quality preschool free of charge?

4. Should Georgia voters have the right to gather signed petitions to directly place questions on the ballot, whether to change the law or poll the public?

5. Should families earning less than $150,000 per year receive an expanded tax credit to help cover the costs of raising children?

6. Should the State of Georgia expand access to health care for over half a million Georgians by utilizing federal funds to expand Medicaid?

7. Should the State of Georgia expand voter access by increasing early voting opportunities, allow same-day voter registration, removing obstacles to voting by mail, and installing secure ballot drop boxes, accessible at all times, through Election Day?

8. Should marijuana be legalized, taxed, and regulated in the same manner as alcohol for adults 21 years of age or older, with proceeds going toward education, infrastructure, and health care programs?

9. Should the State of Georgia incentivize the development of clean, renewable energy sources to support America’s energy independence?

The Republican Party has asked 12 survey questions concerning topics such as national border security, biological males identifying as females participating in female sports, critical race theory and the operation of the Joint Development Authority of Jasper, Morgan, Newton and Walton Counties, among other issues for residents to answer “yes” or “no”:

1. The Biden Administration has stopped building the border wall and illegal border crossings have dramatically increased. Should securing our border be a national priority?

2. Education is the largest line item in the state budget. Should education dollars follow the student to the school that best fits their need, whether it is public, private, magnet, charter, virtual or homeschool?

3. Florida has passed a law to stop social media platforms from influencing political campaigns by censoring candidates. Should Georgia pass such a law to protect free speech in political campaigns?

4. Two of the three current federal work visa programs are lottery based. Should federal work visas instead be issued on job skill?

5. Biological males who identify as females have begun competing in female sports. Should schools in Georgia allow biological males to compete in female sports?

6. To prevent ballot tampering, state law prohibits political operatives from handling absentee ballots once they have been marked by the voter. To protect the integrity of our elections, should the enforcement of laws against ballot tampering be a priority?

7. Absentee ballot drop boxes are vulnerable to illegal ballot trafficking. Should absentee ballot drop boxes be eliminated?

8. Crime has dramatically increased throughout the country including in our capital city of Atlanta. Should the citizens of residential areas like the Buckhead community of Atlanta be allowed to vote to create their own city governments and police departments?

9. Do you believe the Newton County Board of Education should ban all CRT (Critical Race Theory) and DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) materials from Newton County Public Schools?

10. Do you believe the Newton County Board of Elections should expand from a 3 member board to a 5 member board?

11. Do you believe senior citizens 75 years and over should be exempt from Board of Education property taxes?

12. Do you believe Newton County members of the JDA (Joint Development Authority of Jasper, Morgan, Newton and Walton Counties) should be required to seek public input before proceeding with future projects on behalf of Newton County?