The polls will be open from 7:00 AM until 7:00 PM on April 14, 2015 and all 6 polling locations in Augusta Commission District 7 will be open. All voters who were eligible to vote in the March 17, 2015 special election are eligible to vote in the runoff between Sean Frantom and Louis Harris, whether or not they voted on March 17th for one of them. There are 14,551 eligible voters and the board is expecting a turnout of between 10 and 15%.
Harris, the incumbent, came second March 17, but he could gain new votes if Frantom's voters switch their votes or it could happen both ways. Harris could lose voters and Frantom win new voters from Harris and those who didn't vote March 17.
Advance Voting for the April 14, 2015 special election runoff has closed with 99 people casting a ballot. In addition, 85 ballots were sent through the mail – 52 of which have been returned so far. Mail out absentee ballots may be counted as long as they are received into the Board of Elections office by 7:00 PM on election day. There will be no in person voting on Monday, April 13.
Advance Voting (CLOSED)
Voters in Augusta Commission District 7 have many options available to them for casting their ballot in the upcoming April 14, 2015 Special Election Runoff between Sean Frantom and Louis Harris.
Advance Voting will begin Monday, March 30, 2015 in the Board of Elections Office at the Municipal Building located at 535 Telfair Street only. Advance Voting will be available from 8:30 AM until 5:00 daily and will close Friday, April 10, 2015. There will be no Saturday Voting for the runoff. All voters voting in person during Advance Voting must provide one of the six acceptable forms of photo identification and do not have to provide a reason for voting early.
Voting by Mail will begin Monday, March 30, 2015. Interested persons must apply by submitting a written request to the Board of Elections Office, 535 Telfair Street, Suite 500, Augusta, Georgia, 30901, by fax at 706-821-2814 or by email at richmondelections@augustaga.gov. Voters who cast an absentee ballot by mail do not have to provide a reason for voting by mail. In order to be counted, voted mail in ballots must be received by the Board of Elections Office not later than 7:00 PM on the day of the election.
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| Maybe isn't a bad idea to elect/select two people for each post, in case somebody have to resign. |
Sample ballots are available at all voting sites or may be previewed at www.augustaga.gov/boe. For more information, please contact the Board of Elections Office at 706-821-2340 or at www.augustaga.gov/boe.
Political Cost
Some members of the community are suggesting to vote for a replacement, too, for each post. If this option is possible in case the holder of the office must to resign the replacement would take his/her seat immediately, avoiding costly special elections and runoff.
Since this year the only race during the Special Election was to elect the replacement to finish the term of Donnie Smith (2016) in District 7, who resigned last year, Richmond County taxpayers are paying the bill not just for the regular election day but now for the runoff day, also. The cost for both elections is close to $20,000 in 1 month period.
The cost for each regular election day is estimated $60,000.
The cost for each regular election day is estimated $60,000.
What Augusta-Richmond County won't probably ever estimate is the costly political embarrassment that caused the resignation of Smith.
Other residents are suggesting to cast their votes by mail only during the runoff in order to save taxpayers money.
The next election day will be November 4 when taxpayers of Richmond County have to cover the bill again. The proposed projects to be funded by more taxes will be in the referendum to be approved or denied by the electorate of the county. Last year the package for the SPLOST VII was rejected.
This year residents of Richmond County are likely to have the most taxes and fees increases in decades. From property tax to stormwater fee to transportation taxes - just approved by the General Assembly in Atlanta - plus the SPLOST VII referendum in November if passes.
All these taxes/fees increases are added to the T-SPLOST already being collected by Richmond County since last year and it will go on for 10 years.
Next year not only the electorate of District 7 will go again to vote to keep Frantom or Harris, whoever wins April 14, but to cast their votes at the primaries, runoff, then at the General Elections in November 2016 and runoff.
—> Edited by Anibal Ibarra
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