Low turn-out predicted for Tuesday’s runoff





Burke County’s polls will open for the Aug. 5 senatorial runoff, but only a few hundred voters are expected to cast ballots.

Next Tuesday, Democratic candidates Vernon Jones and Jim Martin will face off one more time for a chance to take on Senator Saxby Chambliss in November.

Their race will be the only one on the Burke County ballot – and the only qualified voters are those who voted on the Democratic ballot July 15 and those who didn’t vote at all.

Anyone who voted on the Republican ballot can’t weigh in on the race.

“I expect less than five percent of the qualified voters to turn out,” said Barbara Hammett, executive director of the Burke County Board of Elections and Registrations.

Even so, she says Georgia law requires all 15 Burke County precincts to remain open and staffed from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

According to Hammett, that means a bare minimum of $6,130 just to staff the polls with a manager and two assistants each.

Two weeks ago, more than $10,000 was dished out to cover the July 15 General Primary for which just 2,848 of Burke’s 11,706 voters showed.

“It’s kind of like getting in the tub and getting out at the same time,” Hammett said, noting that Georgia counties didn’t wrap up work from that election until July 18.

Already, advance voting for the senatorial race has begun at the courthouse, but turn-out is lower than ever. At press time Tuesday, only 14 voters had shown up for the first two days of voting.

That didn’t surprise Hammett.

In the July 15 primary, the senatorial race got less response than every other challenged race in Burke County, save the one for Public Service Commissioner.

While 2,109 Democratic voters cast ballots in the local magistrate race, only 1,808 of them picked a candidate for senate.

Vernon Jones got 58.4 percent of Burke County’s votes, and Jim Martin took a distant second with 25 percent. Candidates Dale Cardwell, Rand Knight and Josh Lanier all fell way behind.

Jones and Martin were the top-two at the state level also, garnering a respective 40.4 and 34.4 percent.

THE RUNOFF

Democratic Senate hopefuls Vernon Jones and Jim Martin will challenge each other again to determine who will face Republican incumbent Senator Saxby Chambliss in November.

Polls are only open to those who voted on Democratic ballots July 15 or did not vote at all. Voters who chose a Republican ballot July 15 cannot vote in this race.
ADVANCE VOTING
Through Friday, Aug. 1
Burke County Court House
9 a.m.-5 p.m.
AT THE POLLS
Tuesday, Aug. 5
All 15 precincts
7 a.m. – 7 p.m.



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