Early voting turnout has remained strong as the window for advanced voting ends Friday.
Through advanced in-person voting and mail-in ballots, more than 9,000 voters have declared their choices through October 27. Early voting concludes Friday at 5 p.m.
As of the end of Tuesday, 8,914 Liberty County voters had cast ballots in 13 days of early voting. Turnout was largest on the first days, with 1,212 voters on the first day October 13 and 981 on the following day. Though the numbers tapered off afterward, the turnout has remained steady, with 1,133 voters taking advantage of early voting through the first two days of this week.
Polls at the precincts will be open Tuesday from 7 a.m.—7 p.m. for this year’s general election, as Liberty County voters decide on two county commission seats and a seat in the state House of Representatives. Liberty voters also will help decide a state Senate post, another state House seat and the Republican candidate for the Atlantic Judicial Circuit.
Larry Baker and Michael Cook are vying for the county commission’s 1st District seat, and incumbent Connie Thrift is running for another term against challenger Gregory Lachowsky. Justin Frazier, the District 2 commissioner, faced no opposition in either the primary or the general election.
State Rep. Al Williams faces a challenge from Midway businessman Kevin Remillard for his District 168 seat, and Rep. Buddy Deloach has a challenge from Nathaniel Hicks Jr. for District 167. District 168 is wholly within Liberty County, and District 167 includes part of Liberty, around Fort Stewart and Flemington, all of Long and McIntosh counties and some of Glynn County.
State Sen. Ben Watson faces challenger Corey Foreman for the Senate 1st District seat, which includes all of Liberty and Bryan counties.
David Sikes and Joshua Wilkerson are running for the open seat in District 19, which includes Long County.
Liberty and Long voters will have a say in the next U.S. representative from the state’s 1st U.S. House District, as Jim Kingston and Amanda Hollowell are vying to replace Buddy Carter. The other seat in the Capitol up for election is Sen. Jon Ossoff’s seat, as he contends with former U.S. Rep. Mike Collins.
Georgians will select a new governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and secretary of state. Gov. Brian Kemp cannot seek a third term under the state’s term limits for the governor’s position, but no other statewide elected seat has such an imposition.
Rick Jackson and Keisha Lance Bottoms are vying for the governor’s office, and Greg Dolezal and Josh McLaurin are running for the lieutenant governor’s post. Brian Strickland and Tanya Miller are running to be the next attorney general, and Tim Fleming and Penny Brown Reynolds are running to be the next secretary of state.
Four other incumbents are seeking to keep their statewide seats. Tyler Harper, the current agriculture commissioner, is being challenged by Katherine E. Juhan-Arnold, and Insurance Commissioner John King faces a challenge from Keisha Sean Waites. Richard Woods, the current state superintendent of schools, is being challenged by Lydia Powell, and Labor Commissioner Barbara Rivera Holmes is being challenged by Nikki Porcher.
Two seats of the state Public Service Commission are on the ballot. Incumbent Peter Hubbard faces former PSC member Fitz Johnson in one race and Shelia Edwards and Josh Tolbert are battling for the other seat.
Because of Billy Joe Nelson’s appointment to the Atlantic Judicial Circuit Superior Court bench, a new Republican primary is being held for his old post as the Atlantic Judicial Circuit district attorney. Richy Braun, appointed to fill Nelson’s post, is running against former assistant district attorney Laurie Baio for the position.
That primary is being held in conjunction with the general election, and voters who wish to cast a ballot in that race must ask for a Republican primary ballot, along with the general election ballot. Asking for a Republican primary ballot will not affect how voters cast their ballots in the general election. If they do not wish to vote in the Republican primary for the DA’s race, they can ask for just a general election ballot.
The Atlantic Judicial Circuit includes Liberty, Long, Bryan, Evans, McIntosh and Tattnall counties.
Precinct locations are as follows: 1 — Riceboro Youth Center, 5649 S. Coastal Highway 2 — Charles Shuman Center, 800C Tupelo Trail, Hinesville 3 — Liberty County Community Complex, 9397 E. Oglethorpe Highway, Midway 4 — Liberty College and Career Academy, 245 Dorsey Road, Hinesville 6 — Fleming Baptist Church Family Center, 3526 N. Coastal Highway, Fleming 7 — St. Luke Baptist Church Social Hall, 48 Elam Road, Hinesville 9 — Progressive Church Social Hall, 901 Pipkin Road, Hinesville 10 — Lyman Hall Elementary School gym, 1396 Shaw Road, Hinesville 11 — Lewis Frasier Middle School gym, 910 Long-Frasier Street, Hinesville 12 — First Baptist Church Social Hall, 220 E. Memorial Drive, Hinesville 13 — Liberty County Performing Arts Center, 2140 E. Oglethorpe Highway, Hinesville 14 — Pleasant Grove AME Church Social Hall, 1450 W. Oglethorpe Highway, Hinesville