By Carly Henderson and Denise Etheridge
The May 19 Primary votes are in and county officials confirmed that voter turnout was strong. For now, White County voters can relax until June 16 when runoff races will be held in Georgia. By state law, if no candidate in a primary race receives more than 50% of the vote, then the top two candidates must advance to a runoff.
Here in White County, there were two contested races for seats on the Board of Education. Kim Rogers won the District 2 seat with 3,871 votes over Mary Triggs who garnered 1,513 votes.
For the District 4 seat on the school board, Linda Erbele received 2,314 votes. Challengers Brad Dalton and Jordan Fincher received 1,537 and 1,694 votes respectively. Since none of these candidates had 50% of the 5,545 total votes cast, Erbele and Fincher will head to a runoff on June 16.
In addition, White County voters approved the continuation of the Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, a one penny tax that can only be used toward school system capital projects, including facility construction and upgrades, technology and transportation. There were 4,479 yes votes and 2,348 no votes.
These numbers are considered unofficial and incomplete until they have been certified.
“This was an amazing election,” White County Elections Supervisor Amie Veater said . “I am very proud of April and Tim, the Board of Elections and Registration, our poll workers, and our equipment delivery and pickup teams from maintenance and public works. This effort spans a long stretch—it starts with months of preparation and training, logic and accuracy testing, three weeks of Advance-in-Person, polling place setup, a 17-plus hour Election Day, and ends with computation and canvassing, certification and a risk limiting audit. The dedication and work ethic of this group is second to none.
“Our processes and procedures are continuing to become more refined and efficient,” Veater continued. “The foundation of voter registration and elections knowledge within my staff and poll workers continues to grow. Most importantly, our shared commitment to serving the citizens of White County and conducting each election with efficiency and integrity has brought us together with a greater sense of purpose. This was a rewarding experience for all of us. As many of you know, we will be heading straight into a runoff in June. Preparations are already underway, and we’re looking forward to another successful election.”
News outlets reported more than one million registered voters in Georgia voted early in the May 19 Primary. White County also had a record early voter turnout.
Veater said 3,424 registered White County voters voted early in the May 19 Primary. The final day of early voting, May 15, ended with a record 666 ballots cast.
On Election Day, results showed that 6,938 voters out of the 22,378 registered voters in White County voted in the May 19 Primary, equaling a 31% voter turnout.
White County Board of Education, District 2
Kim Rogers 3871
Mary Trigg 1513
White County Board of Education, District 4
Brad Dalton 1537
Linda Erbele 2314
Jordan Fincher 1694
ESPLOST continuation
YES 4479
NO 2348
Superior Court Enotah Judicial Circuit (To succeed Raymond E. George)
Jeremy Clough 4333
Elise Hoyle 1979
Superior Court Enotah Judicial Circuit (To succeed T. Buckley Levins)
Buck Levins 4827
Kerry Morris 1476
State House of Representatives District 8
Stan Gunter (R) 4368
Nick Mitchell (D) 645
State House of Representatives District 9
Chris Dockery (R) 806
Wayne Rowan( R) 82
Doug Sherrill (R) 108
Roger Smith (D) 140
State Senate District 50
Bo Hatchett (R) 2623
Dave Cooper (D) 401
State Senate District 51
Philip Milam (R) 700
Steve Shaw (R) 662
Will Wade (R) 1349
Gary St. Lawrence (D) 366
U.S. House of Representatives District 9
Andrew Clyde (R) 4471
Sam Couvillon (R) 580
Gregg Poole (R) 730
Nick Alex (D) 396
Caitlyn Gegen (D) 427