Qualifying Continues for Write-in Candidates in Municipal Elections

Qualifying is officially over for the City of Toccoa and City of Martin municipal elections, but if you missed your chance to run, you still have time.

According to Stephens County Registrar Bill Cochran, those who missed regular qualifying last week can run as a write-in candidate.

Cochran says however, you only have this week to get your name on the ballot.

“They have to get 5% of the registered voters who voted in the last election to sign a petition and they have to come to my office to fill out a write-in affidavit. There’s a lot of things they have to do, but by law they still have until Friday of this week,” Cochran said.

Cochran says he doesn’t really expect anyone to go through the write-in process.

Last week, the incumbents for both municipal elections qualified.

The City of Toccoa had two city commission seats open and both incumbent commissioners, Jeannette Jameison and Evan Hellenga, qualified for re-election.
And the City of Martin also had two city council seats open as well as the mayor’s seat.
Cochran said incumbent Mayor Don Foster qualified for re-election and both incumbent city councilmen, Roger Looney and Sandi Stovall qualified for re-election for the city council seats.
Now if no one comes forward as a write-in candidate for either the Toccoa or Martin City races, all of the incumbents will run unopposed.