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Megan Broome/The Clayton Tribune. Chuck Leming, technician for Dominion Voting Systems, points to a sign posted by the Rabun County Board of Commissioners Office that encourages voters to wear masks and maintain social distancing while at the polls.
CLAYTON-- Election Day for the general primary runoff election is on Tuesday and both Democratic and Republican candidates for congress and the senate are on the ballot.
Early voting ends tomorrow and it’s also the last day a voter can request that an absentee ballot be mailed to them, according to Tammy Whitmire, elections supervisor.
Absentee ballots must be turned in by the closing of polls on Tuesday, which is 7 p.m.
“That’s the last day if they want to walk their absentee ballot back in,” Whitmire said.
COVID-19 Precautions on Election Day
Voting on the day of election will be held in a different location than was early voting.
“It’s at the Civic Center on the day of,” Whitmire said on Tuesday about where voters should cast their ballot. The Rabun County Civic Center is located at 201 W Savannah St., Clayton.
Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and masks are strongly encouraged.
Whitmire said that the Rabun County Board of Commissioners Office has posted signage recommending the wearing of masks while at the polls.
She warned that voters should prepare for longer wait times.
“Social distancing will be in play, so it might take a little longer,” Whitmire said about COVID-19 precautions at the polls.
Republican ticket
Republicans Matt Gurtler and Andrew Clyde are on the ballot vying for the U.S. House of Representatives 9th Congressional District of Georgia, which is being vacated by incumbent Doug Collins.
In June’s general primary election, Gurtler finished first with 23,015 votes (22 percent) with Clyde finishing with 18,857 votes (19 percent).
Republicans Stacy Hall and Bo Hatchett are on the ballot vying for State Senator from the 50th District.
Both candidates received 25 percent of votes cast in June’s election, with Hatchett gaining 8,169 votes and Hall collecting 8,080 votes.
The winner on the Republican ticket will run against Democrat and Rabun resident Dee Daley in November.
Democratic ticket
Democrats Brooke Siskin and Devin Pandy are on the ballot vying for the U.S. House of Representatives 9th Congressional District of Georgia.
Siskin received 9,654 votes (43 percent) in June’s general primary election, and Pandy received 7,002 votes (36 percent).
Which ballot to choose
Because this is a runoff election, voters have to choose the same ballot style they did in the general primary, whether Democratic or Republican.
The only exception is if a voter chose a Non Partisan ballot in the general primary. They can then choose either Democrat or Republican in the general primary runoff. Voters can also cast a ballot in the runoff even if they did not vote in the general primary or any other election, Whitmire said in a July interview.
Important information
A Photo ID is required for voting, Whitmire said.
It’s important to note that no ballots are counted before election day, and this includes votes cast early and absentee ballots, officials noted.
Also, it’s illegal to take pictures of your ballot and share them on social media. Voters could potentially have a case brought against them by the state of Georgia if this occurs.
Whitmire said that anyone with general questions or questions about voter registration can contact the Rabun County Board of Elections Office at 706-782-1878.
Early voting numbers
808 in-person early votes had been cast as of 4:45 p.m. Tuesday, according to Whitmire.
As of approximately 1:18 p.m. Tuesday, 942 absentee ballots had been accepted out of 1,535 that were sent out.