With the May 24 primary election coming up, knowing what’s on the ballot and building your voting plan are important. Read along to find out what and who will be on the ballot this May, as well as what you need to know to cast your vote.
Gubernatorial primaries
This month, Republican and Independent voters will choose which candidate will face off against Democrat Stacey Abrams and Libertarian Shane Hazel in the 2022 general election.
On the Republican primary ticket, incumbent Governor Brian Kemp will run against David Perdue, Catherine Davis, Kandiss Taylor and Tom Williams. Elbert Bartell and President Boddie are both in the governor’s race as independents.
RELATED: Kemp officially in against Perdue for chance to face Abrams in governor’s race
A runoff for the election is scheduled for June 21, with the general election set for Nov. 8.
County commission
Habersham County commission seats for Districts 2 and 3 will be on the ballot, with only one seat contested.
Incumbent District 2 Commissioner Dustin Mealor is running for re-election unopposed, while District 3 Incumbent Commissioner Jimmy Tench is facing opposition from two candidates.
Jason Mark Smith of Cornelia and Jimmy Dean of Demorest both qualified to run against Tench.
Jimmy Dean, who ran for District 10 representative in 2020, announced on March 2 that he would run against longtime Commissioner Jimmy Tench.
“I plan to work with all the county’s elected officials and organizations for the betterment of Habersham County,” Dean said in a press release. “I also want to make sure we maintain our county’s serenity and beauty we all enjoy.”
Smith, a veteran, is the owner of J M Smith Engineering. He publicly announced his candidacy on March 7.
“I have dedicated myself to a lifetime of service to his community and to the nation and would like to utilize my experiences and continued commitment to serve to the betterment of my community,” Smith said via his campaign Facebook. “I would like to see the county move towards developing better relationships between the local municipalities and the county as a whole to benefit all of the communities within Habersham County.”
Board of Education
The terms for Habersham County Board of Education Districts 3, 4 and 5 seats will soon expire, but incumbents Russ Nelson, Kristie Dover and Joey Duncan will are run unopposed on the ballot.
Voters will also choose whether or not they will vote to continue a one percent sales tax to benefit the county school system. The ESPLOST will be on the ballot, which, much like SPLOST, collects a sales tax that is allocated to capital projects.
READ MORE: BOE talks ESPLOST and growth in lead up to Habersham’s May tax vote
Municipalities
In local government, two municipalities, the City of Clarkesville and the Town of Mt. Airy, will have local issues on their ballots.
The City of Clarkesville’s council has sat unfilled since December when Clarkesville City Councilman Steven Ward died unexpectedly.
Clarkesville has had one candidate qualify to take Ward’s seat on the commission: Brendon Ansley. The city originally held qualifying during the same time block as the county, but no one qualified. They re-opened qualifying for an additional two days, when Ansley applied.
In the Town of Mt. Airy, voters will decide whether or not they will allow Sunday alcohol sales. The vote comes not long after several municipalities voted to allow liquor stores to open within their city limits— something Mt. Airy held the monopoly over for years.
Voting
At this time, sample ballots for the election have not been released. But with changes to how absentee voting is handled and a temporary precinct location, voters should look ahead for making their voting plan.
Those who wish to vote absentee must request an absentee ballot from the Habersham County Elections office by filling out this application. You must request your absentee ballot no later than May 13. For more information about voting absentee, click here.
Early Voting will begin on Monday, May 2 and continue until May 13 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Saturday Voting will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on May 7, and May 14.
Advance Voting Week will be May 16 – 20, from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
All early, Saturday and advance voting will be held at the Habersham North Precinct.
Election day will be May 24, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the county’s voting precincts. Those precincts are as follows:
*Habersham North Precinct (City of Clarkesville Precinct)
Ruby Fulbright Aquatic Center
120 Paul Franklin Road, Toccoa Hwy
Clarkesville, Ga 30523
706-839-0234
Habersham South Precinct (City of Cornelia Precinct)
Cornelia Community House (TEMPORARY LOCATION)
601 Wyly Street
Cornelia, Ga. 30523
706-778-8585
Demorest Precinct (City of Demorest Precinct)
Concord Baptist Church
250 Alabama Street (old Demorest Elementary Cafeteria)
Demorest, Ga 30535
678-936-9664
Town of Mount Airy (CITY VOTERS ONLY)
City Hall, Old Schoolhouse
1231 Dicks Hill Parkway
Mount Airy, Ga 30563
706-778-6990
City of Baldwin Precinct (CITY VOTERS ONLY)
City Hall, (Old Habersham Bank)
186 Highway 441 By-Pass
Baldwin, Ga 30511
706-776-5256
Mud Creek Precinct (Town of Alto Precinct)
B. C. Grant Baptist Church
1405 B. C. Grant Rd (fellowship hall)
Alto, Ga 30510
706-778-5703
Amy’s Creek Precinct
Amy’s Creek Fire Department
6357 State Hwy. 17
Clarkesville, Ga. 30523
706-754-5913
