Stephens Co. Readying for Run-off

Preparations are underway for Stephens County to head back to the polls next month for a run-off election.

County voters will decide a run-off election in July for the Post 2 seat on the Stephens County Commission between incumbent Debbie Whitlock and challenger Kenny Yearwood.

Stephens County Registrar Bill Cochran said he will start getting the voting machines ready this week.

Also, he said mail-in, paper absentee ballots have been printed and have arrived in Stephens County.

Cochran said those ballots will be going out soon.

“The absentee ballots that were issued for the primary will be re-issued to all voters that voted Republican, or non-partisan, or they did not vote but are on the list to receive absentee ballots,” said Cochran. “Those will go out starting the end of this week. They will probably start seeing them in their mailboxes at the first part of the next week.”

Anyone who needs a paper, mail-in absentee ballot who is not already signed up to get one can request one by stopping by the Stephens County Registrar’s Office in the Stephens County Courthouse Annex on Tugalo Street in downtown Toccoa or by calling the office at 706-886-8954.

Meanwhile, Cochran reminded voters that only certain people will be able to vote in this Republican run-off election.

“The voters that are eligible to vote in the run-off are the voters that voted Republican in the primary or non-partisan or they did not vote but are registered and current as a registered voter now,” said Cochran.

He said that anyone who voted Democrat in the primary last month is not eligible to vote in this Republican run-off election.

Early voting for the run-off will start on July 5 and the actual Election Day for the run-off is July 26.