Habersham County is following the statewide trend, posting strong early voting numbers. As of Monday, May 9, 1,291 Habersham voters had cast ballots in person and another 326 had requested absentee mail-in ballots, with 113 of them returned.
While only 5% of the county’s registered voters have cast ballots, there are still two weeks left for early and advance voting ahead of the May 24 primary.
Interest is strongest in the Republican primary, where there are a number of high-profile intra-party contests. According to Habersham County Elections Office data, 91% of the ballots cast through May 9 were in the Republican primary.
Although there have been a few glitches reported at the state level with voters unable to access sample ballots on the Georgia Secretary of State’s website, in Habersham, the primary is running smoothly.
“We are not encountering any problems,” Habersham County Elections Supervisor Laurel Ellison tells Now Habersham.
A new law and voting precinct
Under Georgia’s new election law, voters may request an absentee by mail ballot up to 11 days before the election. The deadline for requesting an absentee ballot for the May 24 primary is this Friday, May 13. To be counted, absentee ballots must be returned to the county elections office no later than 7 p.m. on election night.
Those who want to vote early in Habersham must do so at the Ruby Fulbright Aquatic Center in Clarkesville. Unlike in years past, there is no early voting in Cornelia.
“We normally have Advance Voting Week at the Habersham South Precinct the week immediately prior to Election Day, but since we are using the Community House temporarily, we were unable to tie up that room for 13 days since they had already rented the room out for several days during that week,” explains Ellison.
The county is in the process of negotiating a lease for a proposed new voting precinct in the old Sears building in Cornelia, currently owned by Ingles. According to Ellison, the building will also serve as the county elections office and will have enough space to house all of the county’s election and voting equipment. She expects commissioners will vote to approve the lease at their next regular board meeting on May 16.
“Once the lease is approved, we estimate a total time for renovations of 4-5 months with a preliminary estimated cost of $40,000 for renovations,” says Ellison. “The lease is expected to be a five-year lease with the 1st year estimated annual rent of around $67,600.”
The estimated opening date for the new South Precinct will depend on the renovation timeline and the availability of supplies and contract labor. Until the new polling station opens, the Cornelia Community House will continue to serve as the county’s South Precinct.
Early and advance voting for the May 24 primary ends on
The general election is on November 8. The deadline to register to vote in the general election is October 11.
