Chattooga County Election Superintendent and Probate Judge Gary Woods is reminding potential candidates that qualifying is taking place this week for local offices.  Voters will be choosing candidates for sole commissioner, sheriff, tax commissioner, magistrate judge, probate judge, clerk of superior court, coroner, and two school board seats on the Chattooga Board of Education.

The Chattooga County Republican Party has already held their five-person vetting session to decide which candidates can run.  Local Republican leaders say that they may hold more vetting sessions should candidates want to qualify. Judge Woods told WZQZ News, “I have nothing to do with who the Republican Party allows to qualify as a candidate in upcoming elections.  The parties will have to certify a list of party candidates to me and those are the ones that will appear on each party’s primary ballot.  Thus, the names submitted to me by the Republicans as candidates are the ones that will appear on ballot in Republican primary”.

Judge Woods says that he will qualify anyone as an independent if they meet the requirements set forth by the Secretary of State.  Those independent candidates would then have until mid-summer to collect signature in order to appear on the ballot in November.

Chattooga County Democrats say that they have no pre-qualification requirements and anyone wanting to run as a Democrat may qualify with the local party this week.

Qualifying will start today and go through Friday at Noon.