In the wake of Alan Foster’s recent resignation from the Putnam County Board of Commissioners, a special election can be held on Nov. 7 with “plenty of time” for candidates to qualify and run campaigns for District 3 commissioner, according to Putnam Elections Supervisor Kim Rudolph.
That is the view from the administrative perspective of legal hurdles and procedural deadlines. However, the perspective from the ground-level world of voters and candidates, the last three weeks of September could prove to be both intense and hectic – especially with a new short-term rental (STR) ordinance serving as the centerpiece issue while tentatively up for a final commission vote in mid-September.
Voters will have to define their stance, find candidates, coax candidates, and support candidates. Meanwhile, candidates need to decide pretty quickly if they want to run, understand the opposition, and then organize to hit the ground running after a brief two-and-a half- day qualifying period.
The STR question has District 3 voters and property owners breaking into two camps, either of which carries long-term implications for the future character of Putnam’s two lake communities: Will they be retirement communities or resort communities?
One county insider sees the breaking point as being based on age. Under 60, they tend to want STRs to help pay the mortgage for their own retirement.
Over 60, they tend to want peace and quiet with community stability for their retirement years. One recent speaker told the commission of the slippage in his cove’s communal activities, citing quiet anxiety about what the next weekend might bring and even some loose thoughts about moving on.
Foster’s Aug. 2 letter of resignation to the governor’s office triggered one set of calendar events for an election largely controlled by state law. However, it remains to be seen if it postpones the earlier county commission calendar looking at a Sept. 15 final vote on the STR ordinance.
As for the legal and procedural parts leading up to a Nov. 7 special election, the first step to set all else in motion is the “call for an election” by the county’s election official. Under the state’s election law involving special elections, the call cannot take place until 30 days after the resignation of an elected official in the governing body of a county (in this case, the earliest date would fall during Labor Day weekend, plus there must be legal advertising of the same call).
Rudolph said she would send a legal ad to The Eatonton Messenger (the county’s legal organ) on Friday, Sept. 1, for publication in the Thursday, Sept. 7 edition. That legal ad will serve as the official “call,” at the beginning of the special election.
While state election law sets out some of the factors that affect various activities and deadlines, the problem is that prior to the official call, Rudolph cannot release any deadlines worked out in consultation with Adam Nelson, a member of the firm serving as county attorneys.
Specifically, state law says that qualifying as a candidate in a special election shall take place during a two-and-a-half-day period, but Rudolph cannot presently give out the specific dates for candidates to qualify until the call takes place.
“Qualifying, advance voting, voter registration – all of that will be in the Sept. 7th legal ad,” she said. “I know there is a lot of interest in this election. I wish – believe me – that I could say it (now). I’m just following the law.”
State law does mandate three weeks of advance voting, the earliest date for accepting absentee ballot applications, and the voter registration deadline. In this case, these dates coalesce around Oct. 10.
Advance voting will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and on the first two Saturdays in the period. Local boards decide the location( s) of polling stations and may add Sundays, as they wish.
In practical terms, having voting machines programmed and absentee ballots printed by Oct. 10 will probably push the candidate qualifying period back into September.
Candidates will face a qualifying fee in the range of $350-$450, which is based on 3 percent of the previous year’s gross salary for the position. Last year’s commission salaries fell in the $13,000 to $14,000 range, depending on the individual commissioner’s benefit choices, longevity, and training.