Voters in portions of Roswell, Alpharetta and Milton will choose their state House representative Tuesday, Nov. 3, when Republican incumbent Chuck Martin faces Democratic challenger Sara Fuchs in the District 49 race.

Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. Voters must bring a valid photo ID, such as a driver’s license, passport or state-issued voter ID card, according to Appen Media’s candidate Q&A for the race.

Residents can confirm their polling place at the Secretary of State’s My Voter Page, mvp.sos.ga.gov.

Who’s on the ballot

Chuck Martin has served in the Georgia House since 2003, according to his biography on the Georgia General Assembly website. Before that, he served on the Alpharetta City Council from 1993 to 1995 and as Alpharetta’s mayor from 1996 to 2002. A business strategy consultant, Martin chairs the House Higher Education Committee and serves on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education, Ways and Means and Rules committees, among others.

In the Appen Media Q&A, Martin listed tax relief, education funding and public safety as top priorities. He pointed to legislation he authored, including the DREAMS Scholarship, which he called Georgia’s first statewide needs-based college aid program, and a “floating homestead” property tax exemption he said he passed in 2018.

Sara Fuchs, a librarian and Roswell resident, entered the race after the original Democratic candidate, Teresa Lin, withdrew in August due to a health issue, according to a press release on Fuchs’ campaign website. Fuchs said she spent six years as chief of staff to state Rep. Betsy Holland and has served as PTA president at her children’s schools.

Fuchs listed fully funded public schools, affordable health care and Medicaid expansion as priorities. She said in the Appen Media Q&A that the state’s share of public school funding dropped from 56% to 51% since Martin took office and argued that recent state income tax cuts forced $300 million in cuts to services such as disability programs and school transportation.

What’s at stake

All 180 Georgia House seats are on the ballot this cycle. The chamber holds 99 Republicans and 81 Democrats, according to 270toWin.

District 49 covers portions of Alpharetta, Milton and Roswell. The two candidates offer sharply different views on taxes and schools. Martin said the state budget “fully funds education” while delivering income tax rate reductions toward 3.99% and maintaining Georgia’s AAA credit rating. Fuchs countered that Fulton County Schools raised property taxes for the first time in seven years to cover what she called education funding shortfalls, and she opposed a student voucher program she said diverts $141 million per year from public schools.

When to expect results

Counties are expected to post the first wave of results shortly after 7 p.m., WRDW reported. That wave includes early in-person votes and absentee ballots already scanned. Election Day ballots take longer because officials must transport sealed memory cards from precincts to county offices before uploading them.

A reporting requirement enacted in 2024 calls for counties to report early in-person results and results from absentee ballots received before Election Day within one hour of polls closing. That deadline does not cover all ballots.

Provisional ballots require eligibility checks, and voters have until 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, to submit required supporting documentation. Eligible military and overseas absentee ballots postmarked by Election Day can be counted if received by that deadline, according to the Secretary of State’s election calendar.

The Secretary of State’s results portal is expected to carry live returns on election night. A runoff, if needed, is set for Dec. 1.