Early in-person voting running now thru June 13

Republican and Democratic candidates are vying for two seats on the five-member commission, which regulates certain utilities in Georgia.

According to psc.ga.gov, the Public Service Commission regulates rates for electricity, natural gas and telecommunications, with “exclusive power to decide what are fair and reasonable rates for services under its jurisdiction.”

As to the question of jurisdiction, the PSC does not regulate rates for electric membership co-ops like the Blue Ridge Mountain EMC, but it does exercise responsibility over some EMC matters involving territorial disputes and financing.

Excluded from regulation by the PSC are butane gas, cable television, cellular telephones, long-distance telephone service, propane gas, sewer services, water services and interstate transportation.

Because this is an off-year special election, officials across the state are concerned about voter turnout. In recent years, Union County has enjoyed one of the highest turnout rates in Georgia, and local election officials are hopeful people will turn up to vote as they have in past elections.

Election Day is Tuesday, June 17, and there will be three weeks of early in-person voting running weekdays between Tuesday, May 27, and Friday, June 13. Early voting will also include two weekend voting opportunities: Saturday, May 31, and Saturday, June 7.

All in-person early voting takes place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. inside the Union County Voting Center at 33 Roscoe Collins Drive, located across from Union County High School off the Glenn Gooch Bypass.

Primary voters who decide to wait until Election Day to cast their ballots will need to head to their predetermined voting precincts between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 17.

Union County has 11 voting precincts: Blairsville, Jones Creek, Choestoe, Owltown, Coosa, Pat Colwell, Dooley, Suches, Gum Log, Trackrock and Ivy Log. For precinct addresses, visit https://www.unioncountyga.gov/308/Board-of-Election.

Notably, the Blairsville Precinct has changed venues starting with this election. In the past, the Blairsville Precinct for Election Day voting was located at the Haralson Civic Center in Downtown Blairsville.

However, the Blairsville Precinct has now been moved to the new Multipurpose Gym attached to the Union County Sports Center, right next door to the Voting Center and just up the street from the former venue.

Moving the precinct fulfills the original intent of eventually housing some additional voting in the new gym, and it also frees up the Civic Center for event booking by community members on days historically taken up by elections.

For people voting absentee-by-mail, ballots may be requested inside the Voting Center now through Friday, June 6. Absentee ballot applications can be returned by mail, fax, as an email attachment, or in person at the Voting Center.

Absentee ballots began mailing to households on May 27. They can be returned using the official Voting Center drop box during early voting hours; mailed back in plenty of time to be counted after polls close on Election Day; or dropped off at the Voting Center through 7 p.m. Election Day.

The deadline to register to vote in this election was Monday, May 19.

Residents may visit https://mvp.sos.ga.gov for mail-in application and ballot status, poll location, registration information on file with the county, sample ballots for upcoming elections, provisional ballot status and more.

The Special General Election to follow the primary will be Tuesday, Nov. 4, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Unless something changes, there will be no elections for local candidates or issues this year, just the statewide election for the Public Service Commission.

People with questions are asked to call the Union County Board of Registrar’s Office at 706-439-6016.