Stephens Co. Run-off Election Today

Stephens County voters will make their decision today in the Stephens County Commission Post Two Republican run-off.

Polls open this morning as voters in Stephens County will choose between incumbent Debbie Whitlock and challenger Kenny Yearwood.

Stephens County Registrar Bill Cochran said that the polls will be open all day long.

“Today, the polls are at the Stephens County Senior Center off of Rose Lane,” said Cochran. “The polls will open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.”

Voters will need a picture ID.

To re-iterate, there is no voting at the Stephens County Registrar’s Office today. All voting is at the Stephens County Senior Center.

Also, this is a Republican run-off so only those who voted Republican in the May primary, those who voted non-partisan in the May primary, or those registered voters who did not vote at all in the May primary can vote in the run-off election.

Those who voted Democratic ballots in the May primary cannot vote in the run-off.

So far, about 1,039 people have either voted early or turned in a paper, mail-in absentee ballot.

The deadline for returning the paper absentee ballot is 7 p.m. to the Stephens County Registrar’s Office.

Cochran did say that this election, his office will begin counting mail-in ballots at 5:30 p.m.

“As the notice has been in the paper the last three weeks as required by law, that if we are going to do early tabulation, then we have to make that announcement at least three weeks in advance,” said Cochran. “We will start counting the mail-in ballots and because of the magnitude of what we have gotten in, it is going to take a little while. We are going to go ahead and start that at 5:30 p.m. and then any that come in up until 7 p.m. will be counted in that group.”

Early votes cast on machines at the Registrar’s Office and votes cast today at the Senior Center will not be counted until after 7 p.m.

WNEG will have election updates tonight prior to and during Braves baseball and we will also update results online and on our Facebook page.

For more information on voting today, call the Stephens County Registrar’s Office at 706-886-8954.