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It’s election season – but at this moment that means a few different things.
It’s election season – but at this moment that means a few different things.
It’s true that White County voters can begin casting early ballots next week for their choice in the Presidential Preference Primary, and Cleveland residents can also do the same for a special election to choose a new mayor.
What about other countywide, state and federal offices? Hasn’t there been news coverage of races and political signs popping up throughout the community? While many candidates have publicly declared they will run for a particular position, the field you’ll eventually see on a ballot hasn’t officially been set.
That will happen once the formal candidate qualifying period for these offices wraps up. Turns out, qualifying for White County races – that is, filling out required forms and paying fees – kicks off next week.
Remember, there may be candidates who will qualify for office that have not publicly stated that they will. And it’s always possible someone who has said they plan to run may change their mind and not qualify after all.
That said, the following is a rundown of some of the election activity on the horizon. The White County News will provide updates during qualifying and a complete list of candidates once it becomes official. Candidate profiles will be included in future issues.
Local Candidate Qualifying
A slate of White County offices are up for election this year. Qualifying begins Monday, March 2, at 9 a.m. and continues during business hours until Friday, March 6, at noon.
Election day for the General Primary is Tuesday, May 19. Early voting will begin Monday, April 27. Deadline to register to vote in the General Primary is April 20.
Though some candidates have announced plans to run, races won’t be officially set until after the qualifying period. Here are local offices that might have contested races.
With longtime Sheriff Neal Walden announcing he’ll retire when his term ends this this year, the News has spoken with five confirmed candidates who say they plan to qualify for the race. Rick Kelley, John Murphy, Will Garrett, Aaron Autry and Jeff Ramey all say they will run as Republicans.
A four-way race has emerged to succeed longtime Probate Judge Garrison Baker, who will also opt for retirement when his term ends. Don Ferguson, Randall Townley, Cam Greene and Carol Jackson have all announced plans to run for the office.
All three incumbents on the White County Board of Commissioners say they will seek another term. This includes Board Chairman Travis Turner, District 1 Commissioners Terry Goodger and District 4 Commissioner Craig Bryant.
Three White County Board of Education members up for re-election also tell the News they plan to run again, including School Board Chair Missy Jarrard, District 1 representative Jon Estes and District 3 representative Charlie Thomas Jr.
Other county offices up for re-election include magistrate judge (Corey Hyde), clerk of court (Dena Adams), tax commissioner (Cindy Cannon), coroner (Ricky Barrett) and county surveyor (Eddie Hood).
White County’s delegation at the state level will also seem some changes.
In Georgia House District 8, incumbent state Rep. Matt Gurtler (R-Tiger) says he will not seek re-election so he can run for the 9th Congressional District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, which has been held by Doug Collins (R-Gainesville). (Collins, see below, is running for U.S. Senate.) Retired Enotah Judicial Circuit Superior Court judge in Stan Gunter of Blairsville has said he plans to qualify as a Republican for the Georgia House District 8 seat.
In Georgia House District 10, incumbent state Rep. Terry Rogers (R-Clarkesville) announced this month he would not seek re-election. White County resident Robert Crumley and Habersham County’s Victor Anderson have said they plan to qualify for the seat at Republicans.
The Georgia House District 27 seat held by state Rep. Lee Hawkins and the Georgia Senate District 51 seat held by state Sen. Steve Gooch are also up for new terms.
Also of note are expected races for Georgia’s two U.S. Senate seats. Collins, whose congressional district includes White County, says he’ll be among the names on the ballot for the seat formerly held by Johnny Isakson. Among those in the race will be another Republican, Kelly Loeffler, who was appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp to fill the vacancy after Isakson’s retirement.
Incumbent Republican Sen. David Perdue is also expected to face challenges for his seat.
Race for Cleveland Mayor
Early voting in Cleveland’s mayoral special election will be held from March 2 to March 20 during normal business hours at Cleveland City Hall.
Election Day voting will be Tuesday, March 24, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Cleveland First Baptist Church fellowship hall. (25 Church St.)
Annie Sutton and Josh Turner are vying to succeed Shan Ash, who resigned as mayor Dec. 30 as he was set to begin his second term as mayor. (Sutton and Turner are scheduled to participate in a candidate forum beginning 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 27, in the Roy Ash Community Center, 89 E. Jarrard St. in Cleveland.)
Cleveland may have another special election this year for the Ward 2 Cleveland City Council seat formerly held by Sutton, who resigned to run for mayor. (Two elections are necessary because the call for the mayoral special election had already been advertised.)
Qualifying for the Ward 2 post will be held Monday, March 30, through Wednesday, April 1, at Cleveland City Hall from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day. Deadline to register to vote in the Ward 2 election is 5 p.m. Monday, April 20.
Early voting for the Ward 2 race will be April 27 through May 15 at Cleveland City Hall during regular business hours. Election Day voting is set for Tuesday, May 19, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Cleveland First Baptist Church fellowship hall.
Presidential Preference Primary Information
Just as this sounds, this primary election lets voters choose a presidential nominee for a particular party.
Early voting for the Presidential Preference Primary (PPP) begins Monday, March 2, in the White County Voter Registrar’s office at 1241 Helen Highway, Suite 210-A, in Cleveland. Early voting will be conducted during the office’s regular business hours, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Friday, March 20. State-mandated Saturday voting hours will be held March 14 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Election Day voting at regular precincts throughout the county will be held Tuesday, March 24.
President Donald Trump will be the lone name on the Republican ballot in the PPP. The Democratic ballot will include Michael Bennet, Joe Biden, Michael Bloomberg, Pete Buttigieg, John Delaney, Tulsi Gabbard, Amy Klobuchar, Deval Patrick, Bernie Sanders, Tom Steyer, Elizabeth Warren and Andrew Yang.
This will also be the first election in White County using the state’s new voting machine system. Like recent years, voters will still use a touchscreen monitor to make their selections, however, a paper copy of the completed ballot will be printed for review by the voter. Once satisfied, the paper ballot will be placed through an optical scanner to officially count the vote and keep the hard copy in a secure storage container.
Those wishing to vote will need to bring any valid state or federal government issued photo identification card. According to the Georgia Secretary of State’s office, this includes:
• a Georgia driver’s license, even if expired,
• valid employee photo ID from any branch, department, agency, or entity of the U.S. Government, Georgia, or any county, municipality, board, authority or other entity of this state
• valid U.S. passport ID
• valid U.S. military photo ID
• valid tribal photo ID
• a free ID card that was issued at any county registrar’s office or Department of Driver Services Office
Learn more about your voter information by visiting the My Voter Page website at www.mvp.sos.ga.gov. The White County Voter Registrar’s office can be reached at 706-865-7812.