Toccoa Passes Sunday Sales by The Drink

The city of Toccoa passes Sunday sales of alcohol by the drink for on-site consumption.

In a close vote Tuesday, city voters approved the referendum by a count of 216 to 198, according to unofficial results from votes cast.

City officials said that it would not take effect immediately, as procedures and rules have to first be put in place.

Meanwhile in Martin, the race for town council could come down to whether or not three provisional ballots cast count and how those votes go.

According to unofficial results Tuesday night, incumbents Harold Alexander and Mark Gearhart were the top two vote-getters in the Martin Town Council election.

Alexander received 34 votes and Gearhart received 22 votes.

Challenger Diane Yow Cole received 20 votes in the election, which called on Martin voters to select two of the three council candidates with the top two vote-getters being elected.

However, election officials said there are three provisional ballots that have not been opened as election officials must determine if those voters were eligible to vote in the Martin election.

If those provisional ballots are accepted, it could change the order of Gearhart and Cole or affect the two-vote gap.

Election officials said a decision on those provisional ballots will be made by 5 p.m. on Friday.

All of the results are unofficial, until they are certified, which will happen in the coming days, according to local election officials.

Officials reported no major problems at the polls on Tuesday.

All voting took place on paper ballots, as with the vacancy in the position of Stephens County Registrar and Elections Superintendent, the county could not get machines set up in time for this election.