The list of Georgia's March 1, 2016 SEC Primary candidates is official.  Last week the Democratic Party of Georgia and the Georgia Republican Party submitted their lists of candidates to the Secretary of State's office. 

"I am excited to announce these candidates for the upcoming SEC Primary," said Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp. "Nearly all of them have already visited Georgia this election cycle to hear from our voters, and I expect we will see much more of them in the coming weeks."

The Democratic Party of Georgia selected four candidates: Hillary Clinton, Martin O’Malley, Bernie Sanders, and Michael Steinberg. 

The Georgia Republican Party selected thirteen candidates: Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, Chris Christie, Ted Cruz, Carly Fiorina, Lindsey Graham, Mike Huckabee, John Kasich, George Pataki, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, Rick Santorum, and Donald Trump. 

On March 1, voters from seven states – Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia – will cast their ballots in the SEC Primary. This primary will be the largest collaboration of southern states in a presidential primary since the 1992 Super Tuesday. 

“Because of the SEC Primary, candidates are drawn here much earlier to learn about issues important to our state and Georgia citizens, such as our agricultural industry, ports, military installations, and thriving technology and manufacturing industries,”said Kemp.“It’s important we make sure every Georgian knows about the SEC Primary on March 1, 2016. The larger the voter turnout, the greater the impact Georgia will have in future presidential primaries.”

Under Georgia law, political parties approve which candidates will be placed on their presidential preference primary ballots. Independent candidates and certified write-in candidates still have several months before they are required to register with the office.