Chattooga County voters approved three countywide ballot referendums in Tuesday’s General Election, renewing a one-percent education sales tax and approving two measures providing property tax relief for senior citizens.
All three measures received substantial support, with the county senior homestead exemption drawing the largest percentage of favorable votes.
Voters in Chattooga County gave strong support to four local ballot measures in Tuesday’s general election, while statewide races for governor and U.S. Senate resulted in Democratic victories. Republicans also won key congressional and legislative races representing Northwest Georgia.
🗳️ BREAKING: CHATTOOGA COUNTY VOTERS APPROVE ALL FOUR LOCAL REFERENDUMS
All four local ballot referendums in Chattooga County are projected to pass following Tuesday’s general election.
According to unofficial results from the Georgia Secretary of State, every precinct has reported, and all four measures received strong voter approval.
✅ EDUCATION SALES TAX RENEWAL
YES: 4,490 (65.21%)
NO: 2,395 (34.79%)
✅ COUNTY SENIOR HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION
YES: 6,216 (90.34%)
NO: 665 (9.66%)
✅ SCHOOL SENIOR HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION
YES: 5,068 (79.49%)
NO: 1,308 (20.51%)
✅ TRION GENERAL OBLIGATION SCHOOL BOND
YES: 336 (71.79%)
NO: 132 (28.21%)
The county senior homestead exemption received the strongest support, with more than 90 percent voting in favor.
All five county precincts have reported, along with the single precinct reporting for the Trion school bond question.
Results remain unofficial until certified.
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🗳️ THOMAS AND LUMSDEN PROJECTED TO WIN REELECTION
Republican State Senator Lanny Thomas and Republican State Representative Eddie Lumsden are projected to win reelection following Tuesday’s general election.
Both candidates hold substantial leads in unofficial election returns.
🔴 STATE SENATE DISTRICT 53
Lanny Thomas (R) — 48,735 votes (79%)
Jack Zibluk (D) — 13,046 votes (21%)
34 of 39 precincts reporting.
🔴 STATE HOUSE DISTRICT 12
Eddie Lumsden (R) — 14,259 votes (82%)
Holly Chaney (D) — 3,069 votes (18%)
13 of 16 precincts reporting.
Thomas and Lumsden both represent portions of Northwest Georgia, including Chattooga County.
These projections are based on their substantial leads in the available unofficial returns. The results have not yet been certified.
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🗳️ BREAKING: AP DECLARES KEISHA LANCE BOTTOMS WINNER OF GEORGIA GOVERNOR’S RACE
The Associated Press has declared Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms the winner of Georgia’s gubernatorial election, defeating Republican businessman Rick Jackson.
Bottoms, the former mayor of Atlanta, makes history as the first Black woman elected governor in the United States.
She is also the first Democrat elected governor of Georgia since 1998.
Bottoms will succeed Republican Governor Brian Kemp, who was unable to seek another term because of term limits.
The AP has now called two of Georgia’s biggest races for Democrats, with incumbent U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff also winning reelection over Republican Mike Collins.
Election results remain unofficial until certified.
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Election returns continue to come in across Georgia, with one major statewide race already called by the Associated Press.
🇺🇸 U.S. SENATE — AP PROJECTED WINNER
Jon Ossoff (D) — 1,591,039 votes (56%)
Mike Collins (R) — 1,259,240 votes (44%)
The Associated Press has declared Ossoff the winner of Georgia’s U.S. Senate race. He will serve a second six-year term.
🏛️ GOVERNOR — NOT YET CALLED
Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) — 1,503,296 votes (53%)
Rick Jackson (R) — 1,346,340 votes (47%)
Bottoms leads in the available returns, with approximately 66% of estimated votes counted.
🇺🇸 14TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
Clay Fuller (R) — 145,362 votes (58%)
Shawn Harris (D) — 102,583 votes (41%)
113 of 140 precincts reporting.
📍 53RD STATE SENATE DISTRICT
Lanny Thomas (R) — 48,735 votes (79%)
John Zibluk (D) — 13,046 votes (21%)
34 of 39 precincts reporting.
📍 12TH STATE HOUSE DISTRICT
Eddie Lumsden (R) — 14,259 votes (82%)
Holly Chaney (D) — 3,069 votes (18%)
13 of 16 precincts reporting.
⚠️ IMPORTANT: These are unofficial, partial election returns from available reporting snapshots. The figures have not all been independently confirmed as the exact 9:15 PM totals. Only the U.S. Senate race is identified here as having been called by the Associated Press.
📻 Stay with WZQZ AM 1180 / FM 99.1 and ChattoogaInfo.com for continuing election coverage.
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Democratic U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff has won reelection to a second term, defeating Republican Congressman Mike Collins in Georgia’s U.S. Senate race.
The Associated Press called the race for Ossoff at 7:55 Tuesday evening, November 3.
Ossoff, who was first elected to the Senate in a January 2021 runoff, successfully defended his seat in one of the nation’s most closely watched Senate contests.
Collins, a two-term Republican congressman endorsed by President Donald Trump, won the Republican nomination earlier this year after defeating Derek Dooley in a June runoff.
Ossoff was the only incumbent Democratic senator seeking reelection in a state carried by Trump in the 2024 presidential election.
His victory keeps Georgia’s Senate seat in Democratic hands and strengthens the party’s efforts to gain control of the U.S. Senate.
While the Associated Press has declared Ossoff the winner, election results remain unofficial until certified.
Unofficial returns from Tuesday’s general election continue to be reported across Georgia. Here are the figures from the latest reporting snapshot available to WZQZ.
🇺🇸 U.S. SENATE
Jon Ossoff (D) — 1,521,727 votes (64%)
Mike Collins (R) — 838,011 votes (36%)
53% of estimated votes counted.
🏛️ GOVERNOR
Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) — 1,214,844 votes (57%)
Rick Jackson (R) — 906,613 votes (43%)
47% of estimated votes counted.
🏛️ LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR
Josh McLaurin (D) — 1,260,529 votes (59%)
Greg Dolezal (R) — 892,419 votes (41%)
🏛️ SECRETARY OF STATE
Penny Brown Reynolds (D) — 1,257,054 votes (58%)
Tim Fleming (R) — 899,341 votes (42%)
🏛️ ATTORNEY GENERAL
Tanya Miller (D) — 1,256,045 votes (58%)
Brian Strickland (R) — 903,919 votes (42%)
🏛️ AGRICULTURE COMMISSIONER
Katherine Juhan-Arnold (D) — 1,183,487 votes (56%)
Tyler Harper (R) — 928,203 votes (44%)
🏛️ STATE SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT
Lydia Powell (D) — 1,200,171 votes (57%)
Richard Woods (R) — 913,652 votes (43%)
🏛️ LABOR COMMISSIONER
Nikki Porcher (D) — 1,198,026 votes (57%)
Bárbara Rivera Holmes (R) — 910,143 votes (43%)
🏛️ PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION — DISTRICT 3
Peter Hubbard (D) — 1,231,295 votes (59%)
Fitz Johnson (R) — 873,158 votes (41%)
🏛️ PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION — DISTRICT 5
Shelia Edwards (D) — 1,212,234 votes (58%)
Josh Tolbert (R) — 895,424 votes (42%)
🇺🇸 14TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
Clay Fuller (R) — 100,749 votes (55%)
Shawn Harris (D) — 82,022 votes (45%)
61% of estimated votes counted.
📍 53RD STATE SENATE DISTRICT
Lanny Thomas (R) — 48,735 votes (79%)
John Zibluk (D) — 13,046 votes (21%)
34 of 39 precincts reporting in the available district snapshot.
📍 12TH GEORGIA HOUSE DISTRICT
Eddie Lumsden (R) — 14,259 votes (82%)
Holly Chaney (D) — 3,069 votes (18%)
13 of 16 precincts reporting in the available district snapshot.
⚠️ These figures are unofficial partial returns from available reporting snapshots, which may reflect different stages of counting. They should not be interpreted as final or certified results.
Stay with WZQZ AM 1180 / FM 99.1 and ChattoogaInfo.com for continuing election coverage.
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The Chattooga County Board of Elections and Registration will hold its final quarterly meeting of the year on Friday, November 6, with certification of today’s November 3 General Election results among the primary items of business.
The meeting will begin at 5 PM at the Chattooga County Registrar’s Office.
The board is scheduled to certify the results of Tuesday’s election and finalize any remaining business for the 2026 calendar year.
The meeting comes three days after voters across Chattooga County go to the polls for the November General Election.
The Chattooga County Board of Elections and Registration meeting is open to the public.
Chattooga County voters headed to the polls Tuesday for Georgia’s Primary Runoff Election, with unofficial and incomplete results showing turnout of 13.02 percent among the county’s 15,410 registered voters. A total of 2,007 ballots were cast across the county’s five precincts.
Here are the unofficial and incomplete results of the May 19, 2026 General Primary Election held in Chattooga County:
Chattooga County Republican Primary voters overwhelmingly supported U.S. Rep. Clay Fuller in Tuesday’s Primary Election.
Fuller received well over 80 percent of the local Republican vote in a crowded field of candidates. Former State Senator Colton Moore finished second with just over 9 percent. Fuller will face Democrat Shawn Harris in the November General Election.
In the State Senate race for the seat formerly held by Moore, State Senator Lanny Thomas was the strong favorite among Chattooga County Republican voters. Former Chattooga County Commissioner Blake Elsberry finished second, followed by Denise Burns in third.
Chattooga County Republicans also favored Mike Collins in the race to challenge U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff, while Burt Jones was the county’s Republican pick for governor.
On the Democratic ballot, Chattooga County voters heavily supported former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms in the race for governor.
In the State House District 12 race, Republican incumbent Eddie Lumsden and Democratic challenger Holly Chaney both faced no opposition in Tuesday’s Primary Election.
Chattooga County voters delivered decisive Republican victories in both of Tuesday’s special election runoff races, with Clay Fuller winning the U.S. House District 14 contest and Lanny Thomas capturing the Georgia State Senate District 53 seat. Official Georgia results show Fuller won Chattooga County with 2,546 votes, or 69.81 percent, compared to 1,101 votes, or 30.19 percent, for Democrat Shawn Harris. In the Senate race, Thomas defeated John Bentley “Jack” Zibluk with 2,686 votes, or 74.38 percent, to 925 votes, or 25.62 percent.
Republican Clay Fuller has been declared the winner in Georgia’s 14th Congressional District special runoff election, securing the seat after a closely watched race across Northwest Georgia.
According to the latest returns, Fuller finished with just over 52 percent of the vote, defeating Democrat Shawn Harris, who received just under 48 percent.
The race drew significant attention throughout the district, with early results showing a tight contest before Fuller pulled ahead as more votes were counted.
Fuller, who currently serves as a district attorney, carried strong support in counties like Chattooga, helping boost his overall margin in the district-wide vote.
The runoff was required after no candidate received a majority in the initial March election, setting up the head-to-head matchup between Fuller and Harris.
With the victory, Fuller will now move on to represent Georgia’s 14th Congressional District, a region that includes much of Northwest Georgia.
Election officials say results will remain unofficial until certified, but Fuller’s lead is expected to hold.
Update 8:13 PM:
Fuller Leads 14th District, Thomas Ahead In State Senate Race As Returns Continue
WZQZ News — Updated election returns from Tuesday night show Republican Clay Fuller now leading Democrat Shawn Harris in Georgia’s 14th Congressional District special runoff, while Republican Lanny Thomas continues to hold a strong lead over Democrat John Bentley “Jack” Zibluk in the State Senate District 53 race.
In the 14th Congressional District contest, the latest numbers show Fuller with 26,043 votes, or 52.02 percent, compared to Harris with 24,016 votes, or 47.98 percent.
In the State Senate District 53 runoff, Thomas is ahead with 6,555 votes, or 64.86 percent, while Zibluk has received 3,552 votes, or 35.14 percent.
While the state results page shows all localities listed in the summary, not all precincts are necessarily fully reported yet, meaning vote totals could still change as additional returns are processed.
Election officials will continue updating results throughout the evening.
Earlier this evening:
Election returns are coming in tonight across Georgia’s 14th Congressional District and State Senate District 53, and the early numbers are showing a split between Chattooga County and the district as a whole. In the 14th District congressional runoff, Republican Clay Fuller is leading in Chattooga County, while Democrat Shawn Harris is holding a narrow district-wide advantage in the latest unofficial results.
According to the numbers shown in the latest update, Harris has 51.48 percent of the vote district-wide with 16,806 votes, compared to Fuller’s 48.52 percent and 15,840 votes. In Chattooga County, however, local returns show Fuller with a substantial lead over Harris. The latest district-wide tally displayed 7 of 10 localities reporting in the congressional race.
In the State Senate District 53 runoff, Republican Lanny Thomas is leading Democrat John Bentley “Jack” Zibluk in the latest unofficial returns. The posted totals show Thomas with 61.09 percent, or 4,765 votes, compared to Zibluk’s 38.91 percent, or 3,035 votes. The latest update showed 4 of 5 localities reporting in that race.
Both contests are being closely watched in Northwest Georgia, with vote totals expected to continue shifting as additional precincts report.
These results remain unofficial until certified by election officials.
