Houston County prepares to vote … again

HOUSTON COUNTY, Ga. — Following the 2022 General Election, the Associated Press reported, after several days of counting, the United States Senate race for the open Georgia seat would go into a runoff.

Incumbent Democrat Rev. Sen. Raphael Warnock led by less than a 1% margin, with 1,943,737 votes. Herschel Walker, the Republican candidate and Warnock’s challenger, trailed shortly behind, with 1,907,272 votes. Libertarian Chase Oliver took home only 2.1% of the vote, his name marked on 81,278 ballots.

As the Dec. 6 runoff election steadily comes closer, The Journal spoke with Andy Holland, Houston County’s election registration assistant, for information on the upcoming runoff.

The only item on the ballot will be the runoff, where Warnock and Walker will campaign head-to-head for Georgia’s votes. According to Holland, Houston County citizens will have three forms of voting they can choose from to have their voice heard.

“They can request an absentee ballot from our office,” Holland said. “They can also early vote, that starts next week — we’ve got the full schedule of all four locations posted on our website at houstoncountyga.org. They can also vote on Election Day at their assigned precinct on Dec. 6.”

Absentee voting, also known as mail-in voting, allows for registered voters to request a ballot they can fill out and turn in by Election Day. In the state of Georgia, individuals are not required to provide a reason for utilizing a main-in ballot.

“You fill out an application requesting an absentee ballot, our office processes and mails you the ballot,” Holland said. “The voter gets it, they mark the ballot, and they return it to us either in the mail, or drop it off at our office, or at one of our drop boxes during the hours of early voting.”

The ballot has to be returned to the Board of Elections by 7 p.m. on Election Day, Dec. 6. To utilize an absentee ballot in this upcoming election, a request for one must be made by Monday, Nov. 28. During this runoff, early voting in Houston County will begin Monday, Nov. 28.

Earlier in November, there was some dispute regarding early voting in Georgia, after a Fulton County judge allowed early voting to take place on the Saturday following Thanksgiving. The argument was that a 2016 Georgia state law prohibits early voting on the second Saturday before a runoff if that day falls up to two days after a federal holiday.

Following a decision from the Georgia Court of Appeals, it was determined that it is a county’s decision on whether they will hold early voting on that Saturday.

Houston County’s Board of Elections, according to Holland, voted to begin early voting on Monday, rather than the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

The Board of Elections office in Perry, as well as the North Houston Sports Complex in Warner Robins, will host early voting from Monday to Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Two other locations, the Houston Health Pavilion and Central Georgia Technical College, will be open on Tuesday, running to Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be no Saturday voting in this election.

On Dec. 6, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., voting locations will be open across the county to accept voters’ ballots. Those looking to vote should ensure they bring a form of accepted identification, such as a driver’s license.

For more information — such as how to determine your voting precinct, how to register for an absentee ballot, the voting schedule and much more — visit houstoncountyga.org/residents/board-of-elections.cms.

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