Early voting for several local and state political positions is available now in Putnam County. It began on April 29 and continues through May 17, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, excluding Sundays.
Only one early polling station is open during those times, in the Putnam County Board of Elections office at the county headquarters building at 117 Putnam Dr., Ste. D, Eatonton, alongside Hwy. 441.
The elections office must receive absentee ballots by mail by May 10 (11 days before Election Day).
Election Day is Tuesday, May 21, with five Putnam County precinct polling stations open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at each location:
• Precinct 101: PutnamCounty Board of Elections; 117 Putnam Dr., Eatonton, GA 31024
• Precinct 104: Waterworks Building; 457 E. Sumter St., Eatonton, GA 31024
• Precinct 105: Lake Oconee Lutheran Church; 1089 Greensboro Rd., Eatonton, GA 31024
• Precinct 106: Crooked Creek; 160 Crooked Creek Dr., Eatonton, GA 31024
• Precinct 107: Lakeside Baptist Church;1023 Milledgeville Rd, Milledgeville, GA 31061.
Upon arrival on Election Day, since this is a General Primary Election, voters will be asked to fill out either a Republican or Democrat ballot; both are not permitted.
Most races will feature the same candidates, regardless of precinct, and more than 80% in Putnam County feature incumbents running unopposed; however, exceptions may occur.
For instance, Republican ballot voters in Precinct 107 will vote in this month’s primary to determine whether Charles Trumbo or Mary Farmer will vie for the Putnam County Board of Education District 4 seat currently held by Eugene Smith. They will not appear on Republican ballots in the four other precincts.
Twenty-two of Precinct 107’s 26 listed Republican or non-partisan positions feature unopposed incumbents, including Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit District Attorney T. Wright Barksdale, Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills, County Tax Commissioner Terrell Abernathy, and U.S. House of Representatives District 10 Congressman Mike Collins, to name just a few.
Fifteen of 17 nonpartisan judicial position holders are also running unopposed in Putnam County, as is Anita Hyland on the Democrat ballot for State House of Representatives District 144. In November, she will face incumbent Dale Washburn, who is running unopposed on the Republican ballot.
Again, using Precinct 107 as an example, Republican ballot voters will determine just four candidates in this primary election: incumbent Sen. Rick Williams versus challenger Leland Jake Olinger for State Senate District 25; Farmer versus Trumbo for the county school board candidacy; John Barrow versus incumbent Andrew Pinson for Justice, Supreme Court of Georgia; and Jeff Davis versus Tabitha Ponder to determine who will succeed Judge M. Yvette Miller, who will retire at the end of this year.
Of interest to many county residents, particularly those within Eatonton, the much-anticipated election between incumbent Republican District 2 County Commissioner Daniel Brown and Democratic challenger Richard Garrett is not part of the primary election process. That race will be determined in November’s general election.
If you have questions about the primary election, where and when to vote, or any other voting-related issues, call the elections office at 706-485-8683 or visit the My Voter Page(MVP.sos.ga.gov) online. Enter your personal information (name, date of birth, county) to see where you are registered to vote.