Very low voter turnout continues to plague the statewide Special Primary Election, which will conclude early in-person voting this Friday, June 13. As of press time, only about 0.5% of Georgia voters had cast ballots ahead of Election Day next Tuesday, June 17.
Election officials across the state knew this would be a particularly low turnout, as the only offices up for grabs in this off-year election are two seats on the Georgia Public Service Commission.
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Just 227 of the 22,066 active registered voters here had cast ballots through Saturday – roughly 1% of the local electorate – though that still put Union as the 18th highest turnout county among 159 in Georgia heading into the final week of early voting.
The Special Primary is a statewide contest to decide which political party candidates for the Public Service Commission will advance as nominees for the follow-up Special General Election in November.
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.
Three weeks of early in-person voting started Tuesday, May 27, to continue through Friday. Early voting also included 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.
The deadline to request an absentee-by-mail ballot was Friday, June 6. Mail-in ballots 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.
