Cow Patty Bingo benefits Connor Luke Hayes
On Tuesday, the Gordon County Young Farmers hosted a Cow Patty Bingo Benefit for Connor Luke Hayes, a Sonoraville Elementary School student diagnosed with Neuroblastoma and End Stage Renal Disease earlier this year. GCYF advisor Annemarie Carr said the group hoped the proceeds for the event would make life a little easier for the Hayes family as they navigate Connor’s illness.
“We decided to do the fundraiser because his parents, Chad and Brandi Hayes, are educators and have been very active with Sonoraville and the community, and I thought it was only fair that we show them that same support,” Carr said. “As a parent, I was touched by what they’re going through.”
Tickets to be assigned a plot and participate in the bingo competition were $50. Twenty percent of all ticket sales, or up to $5,000, were originally going to be awarded to the player who won the game. Since the cow patty landed in an unsold plot belonging to the Young Farmers, all proceeds were donated directly to the Hayes family.
“God reminds us daily that we are not going into this battle alone. He sends many to stand in the gap for us,” said Brandi Hayes. “Our struggle is your struggle and we cannot thank you enough. This is what believers do for one another.”
Early ballots can be cast at the elections office, 101 S. Piedmont St., from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Except for the first day of early voting, when statewide systems were slowed by record turnout across Georgia, wait time has been minimal at the local elections office.
Hicks said social distancing will be enforced in the office leading up to and at the polls on Election Day, and each voting booth is being cleaned after each use.
Anyone hoping to request an absentee ballot must do so by Oct. 30. All absentee
ballots must be returned by 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3, to be counted.
There are three ways to return absentee ballots: by mail after applying sufficient postage (recommended to allow five days for mailing to ensure the ballot is received by the county elections office on time), in person at the county elections office or at a secure drop box that the elections office has set up. In Gordon County, the secure drop box is located at the Elections Office at the Gordon County Annex building at 101 S. Piedmont St. The drop box is to the left of the front door of the building.
Hicks said local absentee ballots have bee coming in
through the mail and at the drop box.
Absentee ballots can be returned by the voter, their mother, father, grandparent, uncle, aunt, brother, sister, spouse, son daughter, niece, nephew, grandchild, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, mother-in-law, father-in-law, brother-in-law or sister-inlaw; an individual residing in the same household as the voter; or the caretaker of a voter with disabilities. It is against the law in Georgia for anyone not identified above to collect your ballot.
For those hoping to vote in person, precincts will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 3. Find your voting precinct by visiting www.mvp.sos.ga.gov.