Courtesy of Dan Pool, Pickens Progress 7/23/2008 –
Advance voting will begin Monday for Pickens Republicans to decide a hotly contested sheriff race in the August 5 Primary Runoff.
The local sheriff race is the only ballot issue Republicans will see when they return to the polls.
Democrats will vote for a U.S. Senate candidate as their only election item. The Democratic Party race for the chance to run against Republican Incumbent Saxby Chambliss has been narrowed down to Jim Martin and Vernon Jones.
The sheriff race between Donnie Craig, Craig For Sheriff (who finished with 47 percent of the vote in the general election) and Britt Massey Massey For Sheriff (who finished second with 27 percent) is the only local race to be decided at the runoff.
A runoff is required in Georgia whenever no single candidate receives at least one vote more than 50 percent of the total ballots cast. Georgia is one of the few remaining states still using runoffs, and the runoff system is being eyed for elimination here.
No Democrats or independents are running for sheriff, so the winner in the Republican runoff will be the next sheriff. There will be local races for commissioner and coroner decided in the November general election.
Both of those races include an independent candidate.
According to Elections Supervisor Julianne Roberts, those who voted Republican may return to cast a ballot in the sheriff runoff. Those who voted Democrat in the primary cannot switch parties to vote in the sheriff race.
Anyone who did not vote at all in the primary last week is free to vote in either party election on August 5. For those not already registered to vote, it is too late to be registered for the runoff. Those registering now will be eligible for the November general election.
“I’m afraid that there will be some Democrats who come back and want to vote in the sheriff’s race,” Roberts said. “But they cannot switch over. You have to stick with the party you originally voted.”
Poll workers will be checking names against a list to see that party switching doesn’t happen.
Craig and Massey both have an opportunity to attract plenty of new voters as the July 15th primary saw only a 40 percent turnout among voters. This surpassed the state turnout which was estimated at around 30 percent.
With the sheriff race the only local race to be contested in this runoff, Roberts forecast an even lower turnout for this August 5 election––somewhere around 25 percent of registered voters, she predicted.
The same polling places and voting hours (7 a.m. to 7 p.m.) will be used August 5 as in the primary.
Polling places in four voting precincts are at schools, and the runoff election happens to coincide with the first day of school in Pickens County––a double-whammy as far as parking and traffic are concerned at those locations.
Roberts asks voters to be mindful that election day will coincide with the county’s first school day. She suggested voters try to vote at a time other than early morning when parents are dropping kids off at school or around 3 p.m. when school lets out.
Early voting, which is required by state law the week preceding any election, is another way to beat the school crowds at those polling locations. Early voting will be conducted Monday through Friday of next week from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. at the elections office in the County Admin building.
A valid ID is required to vote in this election.
For more on the election, see the political directory at www.pickensprogress.com.
Please be sure to get out and Vote on August 5th!
