Friday, November 21, 2003
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Friday, November 21, 2003 |
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Runoff voting already underway By J. FRANK LYNCH Peachtree City voters heading out of town today for the long Thanksgiving holiday can still vote in Tuesday’s runoff election for City Council Post 1. Advance voting continues until 5 p.m. today at the Fayette County Board of Elections offices in the Stonewall Village county government complex in Fayetteville. Absentee ballots can also be obtained through end of business today. The runoff for the Post 1 seat held by Annie McMenamin features Lee H. Poolman, budget systems manager for Fulton County, and Judi-ann Rutherford, front-office manager for the Fred Brown Jr. Amphitheater. In the Post 2 race, incumbent Dan Tennant was defeated in his bid for a second term by political newcomer Stuart Kourajian. Rutherford fell 20 votes shy of getting a majority in the three-way race Nov. 4, pulling more than 49 percent of the vote. Poolman drew 34 percent. Polls will be open at 12 Peachtree City precincts from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday. This year’s general election is the first since advanced voting was approved by lawmakers earlier this year. According to a county elections employee, few people had taken advantage of the early voting as of Thursday, which she blamed on lack of widespread publicity. Voters don’t have to give a valid reason for casting a ballot prematurely, unlike the rules that apply to absentee voting. Voters must show they will be out of town or otherwise unable to vote on Tuesday in order to obtain an absentee ballot. According to the elections official, all requests made by the end of business today will be mailed overnight, arriving in Peachtree City mailboxes either Saturday or Monday. Hand-delievered ballots must be to the elections office by closing time Monday. Absentee ballots received via the mail by 7 p.m. Tuesday, when polls close, will be counted. “You can’t hand-deliver an absentee ballot on election day, because otherwise you could just go to your precinct and vote,” said the elections official. She reminded voters that hand-delivered absentee ballots can only be brought in one at a time, but a relative can deliver a ballot from a elderly or disabled voter if they are unable to do so in person. For more information on rules and regulations regarding absentee and advanced voting, go to the Board of Elections’ Web page at www.admin.co.fayette.ga.us/election.
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