Albany area election workers could be in for ‘very long, slow day’ during June 18 runoff elections
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By Alan Mauldin
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ALBANY – It could be a pretty uneventful day at the polls for election workers for the June 18 runoff election after less than 20% of eligible voters turned out for the May 21 primary and nonpartisan contests, which had high-profile contested countrywide elections.
The May 21 primary and nonpartisan election drew 14% of Dougherty County voters to the polls, and in Lee County, participation wasn’t much better at 18%.
Races for sheriff were decided on May 21 in both counties.
Lee County will have only the Republican runoff for U.S. House District 2 on the ballot for the runoff election.
“I think it will be a very long, slow day,” Lee County Elections Supervisor Veronica Johnson said. “If I can get 3%, I think I’ll be happy.”
Despite the dearth of contested races, all 26 polling locations in Dougherty County and the 10 in Lee County will be open for the runoff. Both counties also will have a week of early advance voting from June 10-14.
Johnson said she will try to keep expenses low, but any election has basic requirements in terms of staffing and other costs, and state law requires having enough emergency paper ballots available to handle 10% of registered voters to deal with unforeseen circumstances such as a power outage or equipment failure.
“We will run a skeleton crew, but it will still be quite pricey,” Johnson said. “We’re up and ready to go when people show up to vote.”
In the U.S. House runoff race between Wayne Johnson, who came out on top on May 21 with nearly 44% of the vote, and Chuck Hand, who garnered nearly 32%, the candidates are vying to face incumbent Democratic U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop in November.
The district includes most of southwest Georgia, with 28 full counties and part of two counties in House District 2.
In Dougherty County, there is one local contest for a Dougherty County Superior judgeship race between Victoria Johnson and Valerie Brown-Williams. Johnson came out on top in the three-candidate race with 4,770 votes, with Brown-Williams receiving 3,133 votes.
Voters who chose Democratic ballots on May 21 are ineligible to participate in the Republican runoff, but those who chose a Republican or nonpartisan ballot or did not vote in the primary may vote in the runoff election.
All voters are eligible to cast ballots in the nonpartisan race for judge.
Since there is a federal election on the ballot, individuals who registered or made changes in their voter information such as a name or address change through May 20 will be able to vote on June 18, Dougherty County Elections Supervisor Ginger Nickerson said.
Voters who were 17 on the day of the general primary but are 18 on or before June 18 also may vote.
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