Senate, PSC runoffs combined for Jan. 5

♦ The runoffs will determine control of the U.S. Senate, after Republicans won a seat in Alaska on Wednesday.

Instead of holding two runoff elections, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger announced Wednesday the Public Service Commission District 4 runoff will be rescheduled from Dec. 1 to Jan. 5, 2021, alongside Georgia’s two U.S. Senate races.

Since there have already been absentee ballot applications for each of those races, Floyd County Chief Elections Clerk Robert Brady said he will likely go ahead and merge those applications.

“If you requested the December (absentee) ballot, I’m going to apply that toward the January election also,” Brady said.

The January election will determine control of the Senate, especially after Republicans won a seat in Alaska on Wednesday.

Incumbent Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan defeated Al Gross, an independent running as a Democrat.

Neither party can lock the Senate majority until the Georgia runoffs.

Voters who didn’t cast a ballot during the recent presidential election still have until Dec. 7 to register to vote in the January runoff. Citizens who will turn 18 by Jan. 5 also are eligible.

The first Senate race features Republican incumbent Kelly Loeffler and Democrat Raphael Warnock. Loeffler was appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp to fill the rest of the term of retired Sen. Johnny Isakson.

The second Senate race is between Republican incumbent Sen. David Perdue and Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff. While Perdue initially secured more than 50% of ballots needed to win, that dwindled as absentee ballots were tabulated.

Alongside the Senate runoff will be the District 4 Public Service Commission seat. The job of that panel is to regulate monopoly utilities in the state like Georgia Power.

That runoff is between incumbent Republican Lauren “Bubba” Mcdonald and Democrat Daniel Blackman.

During a Floyd County Elections Board meeting on Tuesday, the board announced early voting dates for the Jan. 5, 2021, race would begin on Dec. 14 and go through Dec. 30. Locally, county offices will be closed Dec. 24-24 and Dec. 31-Jan. 1.

Board member Melanie Conrad indicated there would be another called public meeting to firm up those dates as well as early voting and weekend voting times and locations.

Three additional absentee ballot drop boxes will also be set up in time for the runoff.