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Advance voting to begin Monday
By Ross Willis
Thursday, July 24, 2008 12:18 PM EDT
The Toccoa Record
Advance voting for the July 15 primary election run-off will begin Monday,, and Stephens County Chief Registrar Theresa Kelley is encouraging citizens to return to the polls to cast their ballots in one of two races still in contention.
“The period of advance voting begins Monday, July 28, at 9 a.m. and runs through Friday, Aug. 1, at 5 p.m. Those wishing to vote during that time may do so in the Stephens County Registrar’s Office in the Stephens County Government Building on either of those five days of advance voting from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day,” Kelley said.
“Voters also should remember that there is no voting the Monday after the week of advance voting ” Monday, Aug. 4 ” but they will be able to vote on primary run-off election day Tuesday, Aug. 5, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the eight voting precinct polling locations. However, no one may vote in the registrar’s office on election day; you will have to vote at the polling location within the precinct where you are registered, if you decide to cast your ballot on Tuesday, Aug. 5,” she said.
Another key point the chief registrar said she wanted to clarify for voters is who is allowed to vote during the run-off election and how they may vote.
“There is some confusion over how primary elections work in Georgia, and that confusion spills over into run-off elections that follow a primary election. First of all, even if you did not vote in the primary election, you can still vote in the run-off election, as long as you are registered to vote. If this is the case for you, then you will have to decide which ballot style, Democratic or Republican, you wish to use for casting your vote. You cannot vote on both,” Kelley said.
“Now, if you did vote in the primary election on July 15, you also may vote in the run-off election on Aug. 5, but you will have to vote using the same ballot style, Democratic or Republican, that you used when you voted in the July 15 primary election. That means if you voted on the Democratic ballot on July 15, then you will have to vote on the Democratic ballot on Aug. 5; the same holds true for those who voted on the Republican ballot. You cannot switch ballot styles and vote on the Republican ballot in the run-off when you voted on the Democratic ballot in the primary, and vice versa,” she said.
Anyone who would like to request a paper absentee ballot for the run-off election has until Aug. 1 to issue that request, according to Kelley. However, those elderly and disabled voters who already have an absentee ballot application filed with Kelley will receive one as soon as those ballots are available.
“I am still awaiting the delivery of those paper ballots to this office, and as soon as they come in, I will send them out to those for whom I have an application,” she said.
Only two elections will be on the run-off election ballots ” one Democratic and one Republican race ” presented to voters starting next week.
The race for the U.S. Senate will be on the Democratic ballot while the 50th District Georgia Senate seat will be up for grabs on the Republican ticket.
Jim Martin will square off against Vernon Jones in the U.S. Senate contest, while incumbent Nancy Schaefer will face challenger Jim Butterworth in her bid to secure a second term in state office.
In the Democratic U.S. Senate primary election, Jones received 40.3 percent of the total votes cast, and Martin obtained 34.3 percent.
Because neither received more than 50 percent of the votes cast, they were forced to enter the run-off election next month, and the winner of the run-off will face incumbent Saxby Chambliss, the Republican candidate, in the Nov. 4 general election. Chambliss was unopposed in the primary election on the Republican ballot.
Three Democratic candidates were eliminated during the primary ” Dale Cardwell, Josh Lanier and Rand Knight ” and will not be on the run-off election ballot, because neither received enough votes to secure their place on the Aug. 5 ballot.
With respect to the Georgia Senate contest, Schaefer will face Butterworth on the Republican ticket to determine who will represent the 50th Senate District beginning next year.
During the primary election, Schaefer secured 51.84 percent of the votes in Stephens County ” enough to secure her re-election without the need for a run-off ” but her percentage of the total votes across the district told a different tale, netting her only 37.7 percent of the votes cast. Therefore, she was forced into a run-off election with Butterworth who garnered 40.7 percent of the votes district-wide.
Terry Rogers, the third candidate vying for election to that seat, was eliminated from the race during the primary election.
The winner of the Schaefer-Butterworth contest will represent the 50th District in the Georgia Senate starting next year, as there is no Democratic candidate for the seat.
“I strongly encourage voters to come to the polls and vote next week or on Aug. 5. Typically, primary election run-off elections have a very low turnout, but I hope everyone takes the opportunity to exercise their right and privilege to vote. Each vote counts, and each person’s vote is very important. Each time you vote, you are helping determine the path this county, state and nation will take; you are helping to determine our future. Take this responsibility seriously. Get out and vote,” Kelley said.
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