The race to fill the District 1 seat on the Screven County school board has gone from zero candidates to two – so far.
Darryl Lee joined incumbent Frank Johnson in buying newspaper ads in this edition of the Sylvania Telephone, announcing their intention to run as write-in candidates.
State law requires write-in candidates to advertise their intentions in the local newspaper of record. Only candidates who have taken out newspaper ads are qualified as write-in candidates and have the potential to win the race. The write-in candidate who gets the most votes on Nov. 2 will win the seat.
The race may get even more crowded. Candidates have until 4 p.m. on Aug. 30 to pay for an ad in the Sylvania Telephone announcing their intention to run as a write-in candidate for the school board.
No one qualified for the District 1 seat during the regular qualifying period, which means no candidates will be listed on the ballot in the Nov. 2 general election.
Incumbent Frank Johnson said he was ill during most of qualifying week and that filing the paperwork “slipped my mind” and by the time he remembered, it was too late.
Johnson works at Koyo and Possum Eddy’s and Lee is a former machine operator at Georgia Pacific.
In the District 4 school board race, school board Chairman Lindy Sheppard was the only person to qualify.
In District 7, Tom Avret announced he will not seek another term. Qualifying to run for the District 7 seat were: Brian Bohannon, C. Dallas LeMaster and Craig Martinson. To win without a runoff, one candidate will have to receive 50 percent plus one vote.
Meanwhile, early voting continues in Screven County through Friday for the Tuesday primary. Turnout has been low, with 28 people casting ballots by mail and 53 casting ballots at the courthouse, said Registrar Dorothy Glisson.
Voters can cast ballots in Room 114 of the courthouse from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. There is no voting on Monday, July 19, and election day is Tuesday, July 20.
A number of state and national races are on the ballot, including elections for: U.S. Senate; U.S. House; governor; lieutenant governor; secretary of state; attorney general; agriculture, insurance, public service and labor commissioners; school superintendent; and state House and Senate.
A sample ballot was printed in last week’s edition of the Sylvania Telephone. Sample ballots also can be viewed online. Go to My Voter Page at www.sos.georgia.gov and type in your name, county and date of birth.
Local races won’t get interesting until the Nov. 2 general election, when incumbent Roland Stubbs, a Republican, will take on challenger Jimmy Bennett, a Democrat, in the District 7 county commission race. Incumbents Will Boyd and Gregg Ellison face no opposition for the county commission.