By Taylor Jarrett
Intern Reporter
Following a record-breaking turnout in the May 19 Primary Election, Georgia voters are expected to head to the polls again on June 16 to cast their ballots in several state and federal runoff elections.
All local contests (three school board seats and the west district commissioner seat) were decided in the primary, with candidates only on the Republican side of the ballot.
Across the state, 2,076,269 of Georgia’s 7.3 million registered voters participated in the May 19 election, an increase of roughly 800,000 voters compared to the May 2024 Primary Election.
In Pickens County, 7,540 voters cast ballots, up significantly from the 3,500 who turned out in May 2024.
Under Georgia law, candidates in statewide primary and general elections must receive more than 50% of the vote to be declared the winner.
If no candidate reaches that threshold, the top two finishers advance to a runoff election.
This requirement is why several familiar races will appear on the ballot again on June 16, when the state holds its Primary Runoff Election.
Burt Jones and Rick Jackson will continue their battle for the Republican nomination for Georgia governor after Jones received 38% of the roughly 550,000 votes cast in the primary.
Jackson received 33.9% of the vote, although taking more ballots than Jones in Pickens County.
At the federal level, Rob Adkerson and Dr. John Cowan will compete for the Republican nomination to represent Georgia’s 11th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, which includes Pickens County.
The race for the Republican nomination to challenge incumbent Senator Jon Ossoff will be between U.S. Representative Mike Collins and former college and NFL football coach Derek Dooley.
For the Georgia State Senate, Republicans Philip Milam and Will Wade will advance to a primary runoff for District 51, which encompasses all of Pickens County.
Other notable primary runoff races include the Democratic and Republican nominations for lieutenant governor and secretary of state.
While several candidates and races will appear on the June 16 ballot, Georgia’s runoff requirement remains unchanged.
Whichever candidate receives more than 50% of the vote in their race will earn their party’s nomination and advance to the General Election in November.
Early in-person voting will be available at the Pickens County Recreation Center from Monday, June 8, through Friday, June 12, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.
The deadline to submit an Absentee Ballot Application is June 5.
Election Day is Tuesday, June 16, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Unlike early voting, voters must cast their ballots at their assigned precinct on Election Day.
To find precinct information and view a sample ballot, Georgia voters can log in to their My Voter Page through the Secretary of State’s website (https://mvp.sos.ga.gov/s/).
