COVINGTON, Ga. — Today is the last day for early voters to cast ballots during the advance voting period before Tuesday's General Primary runoff election for a Newton County Congressional seat and four statewide races.
Advance voting will be offered through today, June 17, at the Turner Lake complex at 6183 Turner Lake Road SW in Covington. Times are today from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Election Day for the runoff election is Tuesday, June 21, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at voters' assigned precincts.
The election will determine the Republican and Democratic nominees for the 10th Congressional District seat representing most of Newton County; and Democratic nominees in statewide races for Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State and commissioners of the state Department of Insurance and Department of Labor.
Candidates on the ballot in the runoff election include:
• 10th Congressional District, Republican Primary: Mike Collins and Vernon Jones.
• 10th Congressional District, Democratic Primary: Tabitha Johnson-Green and Jessica Allen Fore.
Collins received 26% of the vote and Jones 22% to be the top two-vote getters out of a field of eight candidates in the race to be the GOP nominee. The 10th District includes most of Newton County and 17 other counties.
Collins had far outraised Jones in campaign contributions with more than $1.1 million to Jones' $438,000 through June 1, according to disclosures filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
Johnson-Green received 42% and Fore 19% to be the top two-vote getters out of a field of five candidates for the 10th District's Democratic nomination.
The Democratic vote leader also received more in campaign contributions through June 1. Johnson-Green received $23,000 while Fore received almost $15,000 through June 1, according to the FEC.
Statewide candidates on the ballot include:
• Lieutenant Governor, Democratic Primary: Charlie Bailey and Kwanza Hall.
• Secretary of State, Democratic Primary: Dee Dawkins-Haigler and Bee Nguyen.
• Commissioner of Insurance, Democratic Primary: Raphael Baker and Janice Laws Robinson.
• Commissioner of Labor, Democratic Primary: William "Will" Boddie and Nicole Horn.
Those who voted in the Democratic Primary in all 22 Newton County precincts will see the statewide races.
Voters in the Republican Primary in 13 precincts have only one choice on the runoff ballot: the party's nominee for the 10th Congressional District seat being given up by U.S. Rep. Jody Hice, R-Greensboro.
All voters in nine precincts will see either Democratic or Republican primary runoffs for the 10th District seat. Those precincts include Brewers, Brick Store, Gum Creek, Hub, Leguinn, Mansfield, Newborn, Oxford and Rocky Plains.
Voters in four precincts — Alcovy, City Pond, Downs and Livingston — are split between the 4th and 10th Congressional Districts so not all voters assigned to them will see 10th District candidates on their ballots.
The candidates they see will depend on which primary they voted in during the General Primary election, according to state law.
If there is no opposition for a party's candidates then voters will not receive a ballot, said Newton County elections officials.
Visit www.mvp.sos.ga.gov to see a sample ballot to determine if the voter is eligible to cast a ballot in this runoff election.
More than 20,000 of Newton County's 78,000 active, registered voters turned out for the General Primary election, according to county election office records.
For more information, call 770-784-2055 or visit https://www.co.newton.ga.us/167/Board-of-Elections-Registration.
