Chattooga County residents will return to the polls tomorrow to cast their votes in the Republican Primary Runoff Election.  Back in June, candidates for county commissioner and probate judge failed to secure over 50% of the vote, so according to Georgia law, a runoff election must be held to determine the candidates.

Unlike some states in the United States, Georgia does not require voters to register to vote by party.  That means that anyone can choose a Democratic ballot or Republican ballot in a Primary Election.  Plurality, or “winner-take-all”, is the norm in most of the country; meaning whichever candidate gets the most votes wins the election – but that’s not the case here.  Georgia is one of only ten, mostly Southern states, that require a runoff election.

In the GOP Primary Election for local offices in June, Blake Elsberry got the most votes, besting incumbent Jason Winters by just two votes in the Republican candidate race for commissioner.  Both candidates have been working to persuade voters to return to the pollss for the runoff.  Voters who voted in the Republican Primary in June or didn’t vote at all in the Primary, can vote in tomorrow’s race.   In the probate judge race, Gary Woods had a large lead over Teresa Pope, but failed to obtain enough votes to eliminate a runoff.  Woods and Pope have both been campaigning heavily over the past few weeks.

Polls will open at 7 AM tomorrow morning and remain open until 7 PM.