Early Voting Begins for Upcoming Special Election
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Voters will be able to cast their ballots for the upcoming Special Election beginning on Monday, May 27, as early voting begins in Montgomery, Toombs, Treutlen, and Wheeler Counties.
Local races in Vidalia and Wheeler County will be on the ballot, along with a state primary race to determine candidates for the District 2 and District 3 seats on the state Professional Service Commission (PSC).
In Vidalia, Sharon Hall and Reverend Ronald Miller will face off to fulfill the unexpired term of the late Mayor Pro Tem John Raymond Turner. To vote in the election, citizens must be registered to vote and live in Ward 3 within the city.
Meanwhile, in Wheeler County, four citizens are vying for the vacated Tax Commissioner’s seat, as former Tax Commissioner Kim Clark resigned from the position on March 1 to take a job in the private sector. Voters will select their choice of Logger Bradley Davis, Medical Assistant Whitney Clark Griffin, Project Manager Curtis Hay, or Mortician Marvin Howard to fulfill the remainder of Clark’s term, which ends in 2029.
In addition to these local races, citizens across Montgomery, Toombs, Treutlen, and Wheeler Counties will cast their ballots for the District 3 PSC seat.
This year’s PSC election marks the first election since 2020, as District 2 PSC Commissioner Tim Echols and District 3 Commissioner Fitz Johnson have served extended terms on the commission because of a pending lawsuit regarding the practice of electing delegates to the commission. After the case was solved earlier this year, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger issued an official call for an election on February 19, as he declared that the primary election would be held on June 17, and the general election would be held later in November.
The General Assembly further solidified this plan of electing delegates to the Commission, as they passed a bill authorizing the election to be held this year for Districts 2 and 3, while the District 5 election will be held in 2026 and the Districts 1 and 4 elections will be held in 2028.
The Georgia PSC District 2 spans throughout several coastal counties within the state from Chatham County to Hart County, and goes as far inland as Emanuel, Candler, Bulloch, and Spalding Counties. The Commission’s District 3 includes Montgomery, Toombs, Treutlen, and Wheeler Counties – spreading as far north as Monroe, Jones, and Baldwin Counties to the southern border, and from the southern coast of Bryan, Liberty, and McIntosh Counties to the Georgia/ Alabama Border.
Incumbent District 3 Republican Commissioner Fitz Johnson is running unopposed in the primary election, while four candidates are vying for the democratic candidacy: Dekalb County Energy Expert and Clean Energy Advocate Peter Hubbard, Former State Representative Keisha Sean Waites, Technology Adviser Robert Jones, and former Environmental Protection Agency Regional Administrator Daniel Blackman.
Early Voting will begin on Monday, May 27, and will be available daily – Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. – until Friday, June 13. Two Saturday voting days will also be available from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. on May 31 and June 7. Early voting will be held at the following locations: Montgomery Coun ty: The Montgomery County Government Annex, located at 251 S. Richardson St. in Mt. Vernon Toombs County: the Toombs County Courthouse, located at 100 Courthouse Square in Lyons Treutlen County: the Treutlen County Government Annex, located at 650 Second Street in Soperton Wheeler County: Wheeler County Board of Elections Office, 16 W. Forest Avenue in Alamo Absentee ballots may be requested until June 6.
All absentee ballots must be submitted by 7 p.m. on Election Day (June 17) to be counted.
For more information about your voter registration or polling locations, visit the Georgia My Voter Page at www.mvp.sos. ga.gov.
