Special election needed after returned check
Qualifying for the Cedartown City Commission seat set to start Wednesday, Sept. 15, and run through Friday.
Local officials have determined the course of action after a prospective candidate for the upcoming Cedartown City Commission race had her check for her qualifying fee bounce.
Jessica Brewster Payton announced in a statement Friday morning that a banking error on her part led to her disqualification from the November general municipal election as her check for the $54 qualifying fee was returned for insufficient funds.
Payton, who is serving her first term on the city commission, had filed as a candidate for the upcoming election with the Polk County Office of Elections and Registration during the three-day qualification period last month.
“This turns out to be an unprecedented situation in that my candidacy was unopposed and my bank account was before and is now in good standing,” Payton said in her statement. “Georgia state law is clear that if a check fails to clear, the candidate is disqualified. There are no gray areas here.”
Polk County Elections Director Brande Coggins said she worked with state elections officials as well as city and county attorneys to find the appropriate course of action.
The decision was made to have a special qualifying period and hold a special election for Payton’s seat in conjunction with the Nov. 2 election.
Coggins said qualifying will be held Wednesday, Sept. 15, and Thursday, Sept. 16, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Friday, Sept. 17, from 9 a.m. to noon. All interested candidates must qualify at the county elections office located at 144 West Ave. in Cedartown. The fee will remain $54.
Payton noted in her statement that she intends to qualify for the special election.
“I appreciate the understanding and efforts of the City of Cedartown, the Polk County Board of Elections, Polk County, and USAA in working to find the legal and ethical solution for this situation,” Payton said.
Coggins said while the situation does put her office in a crunch to try and have everything prepared for early voting and the municipal elections, she was certain that holding the special election with the November election was the best decision.
“We are navigating this the best way that we can. Although it puts us in a tight timeline and is tough on our office to have everything ready on time, it is a better situation than having to hold a freestanding special election in March in the middle of redistricting while also preparing for the May 2022 primaries,” Coggins said.
The city of Cedartown, along with the city governments of Aragon and Rockmart, have entered agreements with the county to facilitate their municipal elections. The county elections office is responsible for making sure all candidates properly qualify and voting procedures are properly carried out.
Early voting for the Nov. 2 election in Polk County is scheduled to start Oct. 12 and run on weekdays through Oct. 29, with Saturday voting open on Oct. 16 and 23. Locations will be the Polk County Elections Office as well as the Nathan Dean Community Center in Rockmart. The Rockmart location will not be open on Oct. 23.
The Nov. 2 election will include contested races for Rockmart City Council Ward 1 and Aragon City Council, while also featuring alcohol referendums for each of the three cities. A vote on an extension of the current education special purpose, local option sales tax for the Polk School District will also be put to all Polk County voters.