Voters across Northwest Georgia cast ballots Tuesday in the special election runoff for Georgia’s 14th Congressional District and the 53rd State Senate District, but another important election is already just ahead for Chattooga County voters.
Qualifying for local races in Chattooga County ended on Friday, March 6, 2026, and voters will see one contested race in the upcoming Republican Primary for the Chattooga County Board of Education.
In the District 2 school board race, incumbent Tiffany T. Lawrence qualified as a Republican and will face challenger Norma Peterson in the primary contest.
In District 3, incumbent Lori Ann Brady qualified as a Republican and drew no opposition.
In District 4, incumbent Bonnie Kinnamont Fletcher also qualified as a Republican and will appear on the ballot unopposed.
Meanwhile, in the nonpartisan race for State Court Judge, incumbent Jon Dennis qualified for re-election with no opposition.
With qualifying now complete, the District 2 school board seat will be the only locally contested race among those offices listed, while the remaining candidates secured spots on the ballot without challengers.
Chattooga County Elections officials will begin the early processing of Absentee by Mail ballots on Monday, March 9, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. at the Registrar’s Office, 10017 Commerce Street in Summerville. The process is open to the public.
Early processing does not mean votes are being counted early. Instead, election workers carefully remove absentee ballots from their outer envelopes and prepare them for scanning. During this step, ballots are scanned into the system, but they are not tabulated or totaled.
Officials emphasize that actual vote tabulation will not occur until after the polls close on Election Day, in accordance with Georgia election law. The early processing step helps ensure results can be reported more efficiently once voting officially ends.
Residents who wish to observe the process may attend at the Registrar’s Office.