Early voting starts next week in Polk

♦ Statewide races on ballot for Republicans and Democrats

Local residents are being asked to go back to the polls again this summer to conclude several races that weren’t decided during the May primaries on the Republican and Democratic ballots.

Early voting begins this coming Monday, July 2, and will continue through July 20 ahead of the July 24 statewide run-off between candidates for several top positions in Georgia.

Polls however will be closed next week for the July 4 holiday, elections officials reported.

Republicans will select their governor nominee from the two top vote-getters — Casey Cagle and Brian Kemp. Their lieutenant governor slot on the Nov. 6 general election ballot will be filled by either Geoff Duncan or David Shafer; and the secretary of state nomination will go to David Belle Isle or Brad Raffensperger.

Democrats just have one runoff — for their state school superintendent nominee. The race is between Sid Chapman and Otha Thornton Jr.

Those who voted in the Democratic primary are ineligible to vote in the Republican runoff, and vice versa. A voter who picked the nonpartisan ballot in May can opt to participate in either

party’s runoff.

Also, anyone who wasn’t registered to vote before the April deadline for the May primary also can’t participate in the run-off locally.

Polk County’s seven precincts will be open on July 24 for the run-off, but no Saturday polling is planned for this round during the three week period. Anyone who wants to get an absentee ballot for the upcoming election can do so by contact the Polk County Board of Elections at 770-749-2103.

The Board of Elections office will be open during early voting – though won’t be a place people can vote on election day itself – and those who want to cast a ballot can come from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday through Friday, with the exception of the Independence Day holiday.

No local races are on the ballot for the July vote, with elections held last month determining many seats for the year ahead. Included in those are two new school board members as Vicki Mayes and Britt Madden Jr. won out their seats without any democratic competition to face in November. Mayes defeated incumbent Grady McCrickard in a primary challenge for the District 4 seat. Madden won out over Robert Furr for the District 1 seat, being vacated a the end of the year by Jane Hamlett.

The lone county commission race that was contested in the primary was between District 1 Commissioner Jose Iglesias and challenger Gary Martin. Martin won the race and will take on a new four-year term on the county board.

The sole November race that will be contested at the moment is for the District 2 seat held by Commission chair Jennifer Hulsey. Hulsey will face Ricky Clark, running as a democrat for the seat.

A special election will also be on the November ballot to determine who will take over the District 3 seat that is currently held by Hal Floyd. He decided to run for the spot held currently by Marshelle Thaxton without opposition in the May primary, and won’t face any challenger in November to retain the seat for another four years.