Voter turnout appears to be slow in a southwest Georgia municipal election, despite the fact that one incumbent publicly admitted he stole his opponent’s yard sign.
Roger Marietta, who represents Albany’s Ward 4 on the commission, has admitted to stealing a sign from Chad Warbington’s campaign.
Marietta said he removed Warbington's sign "out of frustration," according to The Albany Herald.
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"I’d gotten frustrated that he’s been placing his signs in front of mine, and I’ve heard from many people that he didn’t have permission to even put a sign on their property,” Marietta told the local news outlet. “I was out straightening up my signs after the weekend rain, and I saw where he’d put one of his in front of my sign, so I took it down and threw it in the back of my truck."
Marietta made the admission after a surveillance video was released on social media.
Despite the controversy and a police investigation into the matter, early voter turnout has been underwhelming, according to The Albany Herald. A Dougherty County elections official said only about 1,000 of the county's 50,000+ registered voters have turned out thus far.
Local resident Donald Dellinger recorded the video and said he felt "violated" by the incident, according to WFXL.
Warbington said as many as 50 of his yard signs have gone missing since his campaign began, according to WALB.
Marietta has served on the commission since November 2007 and is seeking reelection for a fourth term.
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