Today is the last day to vote in the May General Primary in Athens Clarke County.
The mood was calm and orderly at the Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia building today around 11 am, where voters in District 6 will decide today who will succeed their current district commissioner.
One voter named Sam stopped to explain why he made it out to the polls today.
“I’m Sam, I’m almost 77 and I’ve been voting in this state for nearly 50 years. And it was just a habit in my family to vote,” he said.
Sam was among a slow trickle of Athenians making their way into the building, on trend with early voting numbers. Only about 6.6% of registered voters in Athens Clarke County cast ballots during the early voting period that ended on May 17th.
Although this election lacks a high-profile race, several contested local positions are on the ballot. In District 2, incumbent Commissioner Melissa Link faces a challenger, business owner Jason Jacobs.
Across town in District 8, another incumbent, Carol Myers, faces restaurant owner Sidney Waters.
In District 6, where Sam voted, voters will name a new face to the commission. Commissioner Jesse Houle isn’t running again; voters will decide between former County Auditor Stephanie Johnson and restaurant owner Rashe Malcolm.
In addition, three democratic primaries are on the ballot: Sheriff, Tax Commissioner, and Coroner. No Republican candidates are running in these races, so whoever wins today’s Democratic primaries wins the seat.
