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NEWSLETTER SIGN UPlpanter@barrowcountynews.com
The time to qualify has come and gone.
In Carl, which had three openings — mayor and Council Posts 1 and 2 — only current mayor David Brock qualified for his seat. There were no candidates qualifying for the two council seats, according to clerk Danielle Chatham. Charles Wagner and Jason Jones currently hold the two posts.
Qualifying for Carl ended Thursday, Sept. 3.
In county-seat Winder, Mike Mingus, Sonny Morris and JR Parrish all have qualified to try to retain their seats on the city council. In addition, Bob Dixon has qualified for the at large seat currently held by Mingus.
Don Graden has qualified for the Ward 1 seat, currently held by Morris.
In Bethlehem, Post 1 incumbent Beth Buchanan did not seek reelection. John T. "Tommy" Parten qualified for the seat. Post 3 incumbent Larry Jones qualified for re-election, and Post 5 — currently held by Jeff Longino — had one person qualify for it. Tommy Buchanan, husband of current council member Beth Buchanan, is seeking the seat.
In Statham, which had a surge of early qualifiers for the council seats currently held by Edna Jackson, Betty Lyle and Gayle Steed, two additional people have qualified: Johnnie Ellington and Betty Kinney. That brings the total number of people qualifying in Statham to eight.
Previously, Jeremiah Bennett, David Huth, Susan Martin and Terry Tripp are newcomers to the scene, and incumbents Betty Lyle and Gayle Steed qualified.
Incumbent Edna Jackson did not seek re-election.
In Auburn, incumbent Donna Scouten and Bob Vogel have qualified for the openings in its City Council, according to City Clerk Rafael Avalos.
Incumbent Sally Brown, whose seat is up for grabs, did not enter the race.
In Braselton, current Mayor Pat Graham is not seeking reelection, as she is running for the District 47 state Senate seat. Current District 2 Councilman Ralph Richardson and William Orr have thrown their hats into the ring as mayoral candidates. William Greene, Peggy B. Slappey and Jeremy Britt have all qualified for Richardson’s District 2 seat. Incumbent Dudley Ray qualified to run for re-election in the District 4 seat.
In Hoschton, the mayor’s seat — currently held by Bill Copenhaver, who is not running for re-election — has had three qualifiers. Current councilman Jim Jester qualified but withdrew his candidacy Wednesday morning. Robbie Bettis, Jim Keinard and Erma Denney qualified Wednesday afternoon.
Sandie Romer qualified for Post 1, and Jim Higginbottom qualified for Post 2 and Jim Cleveland qualified for Post 3. None of the incumbents — Richard Green, Jim Jester or John Schulte — sought re-election.
Elections will take place on Nov. 3. The Barrow County Office of Elections & Registration will be tending the polls on election day — for Auburn and Winder. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Since Barrow County Elections & Registration will be conducting elections in Auburn and Winder for the first time, Election Supervisor Kristi Royston said that with the close of qualifying, their work can begin.
She already has been in contact with Kennesaw State University in regards to the computerized ballot setup and will be moving ahead with ballot publication.
Royston said she will be meeting with city officials in Auburn and Winder and will begin securing poll managers who, in turn, will hire their poll workers for the municipal elections.
Requests for absentee ballots have already been dropped at the city halls in both cities, said Royston.
The voter registration deadline for the Nov. 3 election is Oct. 5.
Royston and Katie Ferm of the Barrow County Elections & Registration Office are handling the volume of voter registrations which arrive from the Secretary of State’s office. Those are directed to the county from libraries, city halls, the Department of Driver Services when licenses are renewed and other "Motor Voter" sites.
You also can register to vote at the Elections Office in the Barrow County Administration Annex or download a registration application from the Secretary of State’s website http://sos.georgia.gov/
First-time Georgia voter registration applicants must enclose a copy of one of the documents which provides address information.
A copy of a current and valid photo ID, current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or other government documents showing name and address can be submitted.
Royston said a follow-up letter will be sent if the application does not have the needed documentation.
Questions about Barrow elections and voter registration can be directed to (770) 307-3510 or (770) 307-3110.
