After weeks upon weeks of the texts, calls, mailers, social and traditional media advertising, the January 5th run-off election in Georgia is on the books. Votes were still being counted into the wee hours of the morning in the races for US Senate; updated results may be located on the website of the Georgia Secretary of State at www.sos.ga.gov. Raphael Warnock, Democrat, appears poised for a victory in his race against Republican incumbent Kelly Loeffler, while the race between Republican incumbent David Perdue and Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff was too close to call as of early this morning; the SOS’ website indicated a narrow lead for Perdue about 1:30 am. Both Loeffler and Perdue were the winners among Floyd County voters.
Dr. Melanie Conrad, Chairperson of the Floyd County Board of Elections and Registration, indicates that it has been interesting to be a part of this election which has made national headlines. The scrutiny has been challenging to the elections officials and poll workers, but she believes that they have handled it well.
Conrad encourages Floyd County voters to ‘trust the process’ upon heading to the polls, as those polls are manned by friends and neighbors who work hard to ensure fair and transparent election results.
Trust was key for the Elections Board in the runoff as Conrad tested positive for COVID-19 less than a week prior to Election Day. She muses that she is grateful for her team’s assistance while she has been in quarantine.
Fortunately, Conrad has been asymptomatic and voted in advance (before her positive test).
Georgia’s runoff determines the balance of power among the Republicans and the Democrats in the US Senate.
Also on Tuesday, Republican incumbent Lauren “Bubba” McDonald won his bid for re-election to the Georgia Public Service Commission.
About a third of Floyd County’s registered voters cast their ballots in advance in the runoff, states Conrad.