Dougherty Elections office announces details for School Board runoff election

ALBANY — Runoff elections are usually on an accelerated schedule, but new legislation that takes effect on Thursday and the July 4th holiday will speed up that pace a bit in Dougherty County.

For the runoff in a District 2 Dougherty County School Board special election, the deadline for submitting absentee applications is Friday, a week ahead of what it would have been before the sweeping election changes took effect.

Norma Gaines-Heath and Alma Noble, the top two finishers in the June 15 special election from among a slate of six candidates, will be on the July 13 ballot. The winner will serve the remaining year and a half of the term of long-time board member Milton “June Bug” Griffin, who died in February.

“The law states (that) Friday is the last day we can accept an application for an absentee ballot,” Dougherty County Elections Supervisor Ginger Nickerson said Wednesday. “Any application received after Friday will be rejected. The application has to be postmarked by Friday in order for us to process it.’

The early voting period also will be shortened due to the Independence Day holiday that falls on Monday.

Early voting will be held from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday at the Riverfront Resource Center, located at 125 Pine Ave.

Voters also may drop off absentee ballots during those hours at the Elections office at 222 Pine Avenue.

“Ballots can be submitted in our office or (by) regular mail or expedited mail,” she said. “They must be received by 7 p.m. on Election Day.”

Polls will be open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. on July 13 in the six District 2 precincts.

The pace of absentee applications is a little better for the runoff than it was at the same point during the special election period, Nickerson said.

Turnout on June 15 was an anemic 9.11 percent, and both candidates have said they will be working hard to improve on that figure.

There are about 10,500 eligible voters in the School Board district. The six voting precincts for the election are 10, 11, 12, 18, 19 and 26, located at Alice Coachman Elementary School, Carver Teen Center, Morningside Elementary School, Radium Springs Middle School and Lamar Reese Elementary School.

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