Georgia Runoff Election
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December 2, 2008 marks your opportunity to have a say as Georgia holds a runoff election for certain positions, most notably the Georgia U.S. Senate seat.
Voters will also select a Georgia Public Service Commissioner, a state Court of Appeals judge and county commissioners, school board members and other local officeholders across the state.
ON THE BALLOT:
U.S. Senate — Republican Saxby Chambliss, incumbent vs. Democrat Jim Martin.
Ga. Public Service Commission, District 4 — Republican Lauren W. McDonald Jr. vs. Democrat Jim Powell.
Ga. Court of Appeals — (nonpartisan) Sara Doyle vs. Mike Sheffield.
WHO CAN VOTE: Anyone registered to vote in Georgia as of the Oct. 6 deadline for the Nov. 4 general election. Those who did not vote in last month’s election can still vote in the runoff.
WHAT TO BRING: Eligible voters, those 18 years and older who are registered, must bring a photo ID to the polls. Valid forms of identification include a Georgia driver’s license, even one that is expired. Also acceptable: any photo ID issued by the U.S. military or any federal, state or local government agency. Also allowed are photo IDs denoting membership with a native American tribe.
WHEN TO VOTE: Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
WHY IS THERE AN ELECTION: State law mandates that no candidate can be elected without attaining a majority. Runoff elections are held when no candidate reaches the 50 percent plus one vote threshold in any given contest. Chambliss, for example, was denied an outright re-election win last month despite attaining a first place finish with 49 percent of the votes cast.
WHAT’S THE TURNOUT: Secretary of State Karen Handel has not predicted how many Georgians will show up to vote Tuesday. Voter turnout in runoff elections is typically very low.
In 1992, the last time a Georgia U.S. Senate election was forced into a runoff, voter turnout dropped by 1 million votes — from 2.25 million to 1.25 million — between the general election and the runoff three weeks later.
Click here for the AJC article in its entirety.
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